Mrs. Phung, 57 years old, suddenly fainted when she took her husband to the doctor. The doctor discovered a large brain tumor of 8 cm.
Mrs. Phung lost consciousness for a few minutes while waiting for her husband at Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, so she was quickly treated by doctors specializing in emergency medicine, cardiology, neurology, and diagnostic imaging. emergency diagnosis. The results of a 3 Tesla brain MRI scan revealed that Ms. Phung had an extra-axial tumor, 8 cm in size, attached to the crescent of the brain in the right forehead area. The tumor also has 2 small poles that puncture the cerebral sickle, pressing on the left cerebral hemisphere.
Ms. Phung said that for nearly 10 years, she occasionally fainted, rested for a few minutes and returned to normal. On October 3, Chu Tan Si, M.D., M.D. II, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, explained that the meningioma put a lot of pressure on the surface of the cerebral cortex, which was the cause of her death. Occasionally fainting and loss of consciousness.
“Patients who have had symptoms of fainting for the past 10 years have a high possibility that the tumor has formed a long time ago,” Dr. Tan Si said, adding that it is difficult to determine exactly when the tumor appeared. However, this time if surgery is delayed, the tumor will rapidly increase in size, leading to complications such as weakness of the left side of the body, epilepsy, mental disorders, atrophy or papilledema leading to blurred vision, even blindness.
The large tumor pressed on Ms. Phung’s cerebral cortex on a 3 Tesla MRI scan. Image: Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7
Patients receive surgery to remove the tumor early to help avoid complications. The neurosurgery team incises the skin, opens an incision in the patient’s right forehead, then uses the Neuro-Navigation AI nerve positioning system to determine the poles of the tumor, avoiding damage to nerve fiber bundles. Surrounding nerves and brain tissue heal, preserving nerve function for the patient.
The surgical team removed a large meningioma for Ms. Phung. Image: Tam Anh Hospital
Doctor Tan Si assessed that the tumor was large in size, had many blood vessels, and had two poles that pierced the brain. Therefore, the requirement to control hemostasis during tumor dissection becomes complicated. The team uses the K.Zeiss Kinevo 900 microsurgical microscope system with 3D fluorescence imaging function to evaluate the level of tumor perfusion, preserve blood vessels that feed the healthy brain area around the tumor, and gradually separate the tumor from the healthy brain. full. The doctor uses the Cusa ultrasonic suction cutting system to small, clean the core, leaving only the tumor capsule, helping to reduce the level of invasion, limit the need to open the brain when removing the tumor, and then remove the entire tumor capsule to avoid risk of recurrence.
After surgery, the patient had no neurological defects and recovered well. Three days after surgery, she could walk, eat, and live almost normally, and was discharged from the hospital after 5 days.
The doctor checked Ms. Phung’s recovery process after surgery. Image: Tam Anh Hospital
Dr. Tan Si added that patients who faint or suddenly lose consciousness should quickly see a cardiology and neurology specialist. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe ultrasound, electroencephalogram, CT scan or MRI of the brain to assess the risk of cardiovascular or neurological damage. From there, doctors can take timely treatment measures to avoid dangerous delays.