Mr. Tu, 26 years old, had numbness on the right side of his body. The doctor diagnosed a cerebral angioma and performed surgery using an AI robot to remove the entire tumor.
Brain tumors are often difficult to operate due to the high level of risk, so Mr. Tu discovered the tumor 6 months ago but only received medical treatment. Currently, his symptoms are getting worse, the muscle strength on the right side has decreased by 50%, and he has difficulty speaking. He went to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for examination. The results of a 3 Tesla MRI scan determined that Mr. Tu had a cavernous hemangioma in the left thalamus, 3×3 cm in size, with bleeding inside the tumor.
MSc.BS.CKII Mai Hoang Vu, Department of Neurosurgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, explained that the thalamus is located deep in the brain, playing an important role as a relay station for nerve impulses from the brain. Nerve fibers move to, then continue to, the cerebral cortex. This is also the end of the motor nerve fibers of the extrapyramidal system and contains many important nuclei of the nervous system. Any damage to the thalamus is very dangerous.
Doctor Vu assessed that the patient’s tumor had internal bleeding, so it quickly increased in size, with the risk of sudden rupture leading to deep bleeding in the left brain and hemorrhagic stroke. Without surgery, the patient has a high risk of death or sequelae of impaired motor and language function.
Mr. Tu’s cavernous angioma on a 3 Tesla MRI scan. Image: Hospital provided
After in-depth consultation, the doctors prescribed surgery for Mr. Tu using a brain and spinal cord surgery robot using artificial intelligence (AI) Modus V Synaptive to ensure safety during the tumor removal process. , maximally preserving neurological function for patients. The tumor is located in the thalamus and is a hemorrhagic cavernous hemangioma, so all operations during the dissection and removal of the tumor must be precise. “This is a difficult surgery, even the slightest mistake can put the patient at risk, with sequelae such as sensory and perceptual disorders, paralysis of the right side of the body, complete loss of speech, and even death in the room.” surgery,” said Dr. Vu.
The tumor is located in the brain, an important structure with many nerve conduction points. Thanks to the robot’s ability to image MRI, DTI, CT, DSA…, doctors can clearly see the location, structure and correlation of the tumor with nerve fiber bundles and healthy brain structures on the same image. 3D. From there, the doctor proactively chooses the appropriate incision.
Before the official surgery, the doctor uses the simulation surgery feature on the AI robot’s specialized software to draw up a detailed surgery plan. From there, doctors can anticipate situations or risks that arise, proactively come up with appropriate solutions, helping to approach, dissect, and remove tumors safely and effectively.
The surgical team removed Mr. Tu’s cavernous hemangioma using an AI robot. Image: Hospital provided
The next day, the surgery was officially performed according to the simulation plan. The doctor opened an incision about 5 cm in the left temporal area, following the cortical groove, parallel to the nerve fiber bundles to access the damaged area and completely remove the tumor. AI robots help doctors maximally preserve nerve fiber bundles and healthy brain structures for patients.
The doctor checked Mr. Tu’s recovery ability after surgery. Image: Hospital provided
Two days after surgery, Mr. Tu recovered his health well, his speech difficulty was completely gone, and no complications occurred. Muscle strength on the right side of the body improves slowly, so it is necessary to maintain physical therapy for about 6-12 months, and is expected to be discharged from the hospital after two days.
Surgical results showed that Mr. Tu had a congenital, benign cavernous hemangioma. Dr. Vu assessed that the surgery completely removed the tumor, including the tumor capsule, avoiding the risk of recurrence.
Modus V Synaptive AI robot has been licensed by the Ministry of Health for application at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City since 2023. To date, it has successfully operated on more than 100 cases of brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, and hemorrhagic strokes.