HCM CityA 22-year-old girl lying in one place due to a 6 cm brain tumor compressing the motor nerve, was operated by a new generation robot, was able to walk after 3 days.
Ms. Pham Thi Thu Trang (An Giang) got sick 6 years ago. Initially, there is headache, numbness in the limbs, then the patient has difficulty swallowing, nausea, dizziness, difficulty walking. The situation is getting worse.
The patient was examined at major hospitals, the doctor diagnosed a brain tumor in an important and dangerous position, so he did not dare to operate.
In the past 6 years, Ms. Trang has spent more time in the hospital than at home, with weak limbs and difficulty walking. 6 months before being treated at Tam Anh General Hospital, she was completely paralyzed, lying in one place, lethargic, choking, unable to eat, lost a lot of weight...
Ms. Thu Trang was paralyzed before the operation. Image: Patient provides
MSc.BS.CKII Chu Tan Si (Head of Neurosurgery Department, Neurological Center, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City) reported on the successful surgery with the first new generation brain surgery robot present in Vietnam, at the symposium "Application of artificial intelligence in health", taking place at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, on May 28.
The tumor was about 6×5 cm in the patient's brain stem, compressing the motor nerve transmission, a difficult position to operate, and easy to damage the nerve functions after surgery. If operated by traditional methods, it will be difficult to evaluate and preserve nerve fiber bundles. Just a small mistake, the patient will be permanently paralyzed or lose their life.
Doctor Tan Si added that, thanks to the Modus V Synaptive brain surgery robot system that has many advantages compared to traditional methods, the team decided to operate, hoping to help the patient walk again. This is a modern robotic system in the neurosurgery industry in Vietnam. Currently, there are 10 countries applying this robot, most of them in Europe and the US. In Vietnam, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City is the first unit to apply the new generation Modus V Synaptive robot.
The robot allows doctors to clearly see the nerve conduction bundles around the tumor on the same image thanks to the ability to image MRI, DTI, CT, DSA ... At the same time, set up 3D simulation surgery on specialized software. This is a difference that traditional techniques and machines cannot make. The doctor actively chooses the location of the skull opening, chooses the safest way to access the tumor (from the back of the neck to the cerebral cortex and brain stem), ensures that the nerve fiber bundles are not damaged or severed, and minimizes the impact on the surrounding healthy brain tissue.
Image of the tumor in the brain stem (left) and after the tumor was surgically removed (right). Image: Hospital provides
“During the actual surgery, we continue to be closely monitored by the robot. If the approach path and surgical instruments tend to deviate, the robot warns with green, yellow, and red light signals such as traffic lights. Thanks to that, the surgeon is confident with the operation," said Dr.
After 4 hours, the team removed all the tumors in the patient's brain. Thu Trang regained consciousness, reacted well, and her consciousness improved. After 3 days of surgery, the patient practiced physical therapy, was able to walk and was discharged after 7 days.
Now the patient can walk, live, eat and no longer choke. Doctor Tan Si said that in the coming time, the patient will recover better.
Doctors operating on a case with a robot. Image: Hospital provides
“During 6 years of going to the doctor, the doctor said that the tumor was in a dangerous place, causing paralysis, I thought for sure he would die. My father and I did not know where to put our hope anymore, did not believe that the grandson would survive. After surgery at Tam Anh General Hospital, when I saw her recovering, I cried tears of joy," said Mr. Pham Van Nguyen (the patient's father).
“Doctors are like a second mother giving birth to me again. I no longer have a mental breakdown, hoping to be able to help my father raise my child after my mother's death, "said Trang.
At the workshop, experts assessed that this artificial intelligence-applied robot is a new turning point, promoting optimal efficiency in surgery in cases of: brain tumor, brain hemorrhage or neuropathy - craniocerebral difficult, located deep in the brain or near important structures of the brain that are difficult or dare not reach by conventional surgical methods.
Trang and her father shared about the process of healing, surgery and recovery.
Hoai An
