SUM neuro surgeon conducts advanced neurosurgery

Bhubaneswar: In a significant advancement for neurosurgery in Eastern India, doctors at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here have successfully performed Eastern India’s first surgery using cortical and subcortical brain mapping techniques extending new hope to patients with complex brain tumors located close to critical brain regions.

Dr. Srikant Kumar Swain, Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at IMS and SUM Hospital, conducted the surgery recently on a young adult with a tumor near the brain’s speech and motor control areas.

“Mapping techniques were used during the procedure to accurately identify and preserve key functional areas ensuring safe and effective tumor removal,” Dr. Swain said at a news conference on Tuesday.

The complex procedure was successfully conducted by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Swain. The other members of the team included Dr. Srimanta Pattnaik, Consultant Neurologist and Dr. Debi Prasad Mohapatra, Consultant, Neuro-Anesthesia, whose role was crucial during intraoperative neurological testing.

Explaining the procedure, Dr. Swain said “cortical and subcortical brain mapping allows us to protect vital brain functions while removing high risk tumors located in eloquent areas.”

By using direct brain stimulation and advanced monitoring during the surgery, the team was able to distinguish and avoid important areas of the brain responsible for the movement of body parts and language. The patient was recovering well and has retained all essential neurological functions.
Following the surgery, the patient was presently undergoing radiotherapy as per the histopatholocal report.
Eminent neurosurgeon Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra expressed happiness over the successful surgery describing it as a proud moment for Odisha.
“Cortical and subcortical brain mapping is a highly advanced neurosurgical technique and its successful implementation here proves the growing excellence of neurosurgical care in our state,” Prof. (Dr.) Mahapatra, also former Vice-Chancellor of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) and presently the university’s Principal Advisor (Health Sciences), said.
Prof. (Dr.) Mahapatra was decorated with the Padma Shri by the government this year.
Prof. (Dr.) Pusparaj Samantasinghar, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said the surgery marked a significant milestone in functional neurosurgery in eastern India enabling conduct of complex surgeries for which patients were earlier referred to major cities outside the state.
IMS and SUM Hospital, he said, had emerged as a regional center for advanced functional neurosurgical care including treatment of brain tumors, epilepsy and movement disorders with modern brain mapping techniques, he said.
Prof. (Dr.) Soubhagya Panigrahi, Head of Department of Neurosurgery and Associate Professor of Neurology Department Dr. Srimanta Pattanaik were present at Press conference.