Brain surgery through keyhole? Is it possible? Practically scarless? Almost painless? Discharge in a couple of days? “Possible!” says Dr. U.S. Srinivasan

Brain Surgery? Doesn’t it involve a threat to life and limb? Not if the problem can be handled through keyhole surgery.

The Keyhole Option

Modern endoscopes combined with image intensifiers have made pituitary brain tumour surgery through a keyhole incision, possible.

Pituitary Problems

Pituitary brain tumours can develop at any age. The first symptoms are visual – decreasing vision and the inability to see objects clearly from certain angles. It can also produce endocrinological abnormality due to increased secretion of normal hormones. Growth hormone excess in children can lead to gigantism where the child may grow to a height of more than 6 ½ feet. In adults it leads to abnormal protrusion of the jaw, spade like hands and feet and brittle bones (Acromegaly). Females may suffer from excess of another pituitary hormone known as Prolactin. This leads to cessation of menstrual flow, infertility and milk secretion.

Diagnosis and Therapy

The diagnosis of pituitary is confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). If the tumour is large, surgery is the only option. Otherwise it can be managed via medical and radiation therapy. In surgery, the pituitary glands are approached through the nose, removing part of the bony septum, entering the sinus and through it, accessing the pituitary. After the surgery, the patient is mobilized the next day and is discharged at the earliest.

Dr U. S. Srinivasan
MCh. Chief Neurosurgeon
Department of Neurosurgery, MIOT Hospitals
(Has performed more than 1250 surgeries withan excellent success rate)

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