8 hours of suffocation to free female patient from giant skull base tumor

Thanks to the application of modern microsurgery and positioning techniques, the team at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital (Hanoi) successfully removed a large skull base tumor in a location considered “taboo” in the brain, helping the patient fully recover after only 10 days.

Tumor found in “forbidden location” of brain

Three years of living with severe headaches, dizziness, and nausea gradually exhausted the life of Mrs. Bui Thi Nhung (52 years old, Hung Yen ).

Dr. Dong Pham Cuong, the man behind the surgery for a giant brain tumor.

At first, Mrs. Nhung only suffered from a dull headache, dizziness, insomnia, and constant nausea. Despite treatment with painkillers, acupuncture, and acupressure, her condition did not improve, but instead worsened. Sometimes, while cooking, she felt so dizzy that she had to sit down. At night, the throbbing pain spread throughout her head, causing her to lose sleep.

“There was a time when my face was distorted, my mouth was stiff, and I couldn’t speak clearly. That was when I was really scared,” Ms. Nhung said.

Ms. Nhung lost nearly 7 kg, her spirit was depressed but the cause was still unknown. Finally, the MRI results at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital revealed a worrying truth: a giant meningioma, up to 6 cm in diameter, located deep in the base of the skull - the location where the nerves and blood vessels that control life, including breathing, movement and cardiovascular system, are concentrated.

Dr. Dong Pham Cuong, Director of Vinmec Times City Neurosurgery Center, said: “Just a small mistake in surgery at this location can cause facial paralysis, hearing loss or even endanger the patient’s life. This is a very complicated case, requiring precise surgical strategy and control of every detail.”

In many hospitals, with such a large tumor, the patient would have to undergo two surgeries several weeks apart. But at Vinmec, thanks to a team of experienced surgeons and a high-tech support system, the team decided to perform the surgery in one go, which was both thorough and safe.

The biggest challenge is choosing the surgical approach. According to Dr. Cuong, there are many approaches to skull base tumors, but none is “absolutely standard”.

“If we operate in front of the sigmoid sinus, the operation is easier but the risk of damaging blood vessels and nerves is high. We choose the posterior sigmoid sinus incision combined with cutting the cerebellar tentorium. This option is more difficult for the doctor, but less invasive and safer for the patient, in line with modern neurosurgery trends,” said Dr. Cuong.

Trade “easy path for doctors” for “best results for patients”

During the 8-hour surgery, the entire team worked in a state of absolute concentration. Modern equipment such as the Neuronavigation machine, the Intraoperative Neuromonitoring System (IOM) and the new generation Carl Zeiss microscope were used synchronously, helping to precisely control each step.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Huong, the doctor directly in charge of the microsurgery, shared: “The tumor was large and had spread to two areas of the skull. The goal was to completely remove the tumor while preserving all the nerves. We had to operate under a high-powered microscope, observing each nerve fiber as thin as a strand of hair.”

Surgery to remove a giant tumor.

As a result, the entire tumor was removed cleanly, without damaging any nerves or blood vessels - a rare success in surgeries in the large cerebellopontine angle area.

Immediately after the surgery, Mrs. Nhung was awake, breathing, talking and moving normally, without needing to go to the intensive care unit. After 3 days, she was able to eat and walk easily; on the 10th day, she was discharged with a symmetrical face, no paralysis, no hearing loss.

“I prepared myself for the worst, thinking that I would have to live with a distorted face or never wake up. But when I opened my eyes and saw that I could still speak and move, I couldn’t believe it. I am truly grateful to the Vinmec doctors for saving me so gently,” Ms. Nhung said emotionally.

Ms. Nhung's surgery also marked an important step forward for Vinmec Neurology Center in mastering the world's leading complex brain surgery techniques, especially in microsurgery and minimally invasive positioning - a trend that is shaping the future of modern neuromedicine.

According to Dr. Dong Pham Cuong, the success of the surgery is not only a medical achievement, but also demonstrates the humanistic medical philosophy that Vinmec pursues.

“We accept the more difficult path for doctors, in exchange for the best results for patients. The goal is not just to save lives, but to help them return to normal life, confident and happy,” he said.

From a person who once faced the fear of losing everything, Ms. Nhung can now smile again. It is a smile of happiness and trust in the dedicated medical hands at Vinmec.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/8-gio-nghet-tho-giai-thoat-nu-benh-nhan-khoi-khoi-u-nen-so-khong-lo-i786023/