First vario-guided biopsy of a deep seated tumor of the brain using esy nav neuronavigation system

The Neurosurgery team at the KLE’s Prabhakar Kore Hospital, Nehru Nagar, Belgaum successfully performed their first vario-guided biopsy of a small tumour located on the caudate nucleus of the basal ganglia which forms the innermost section of the human brain. This procedure was performed with the help of HRS Neuro-navigation system which is exclusively available only in a few centers in the state.

A 50-year-old gentleman had presented to us with complaints of headache, slurring of speech and mild weakness in the right upper and lower limbs. On investigating him further, the MRI scan of his brain showed a deep-seated tumour on the left caudate nucleus which is a part of the most intrinsic and delicate structures of the brain. After detailed analysis and planning, the team decided to go ahead with this minimally invasive biopsy procedure. Post-procedure this gentleman’s neurological condition was stable and he was discharged the very next day from our hospital.

Being minimally invasive, this procedure has very less risks to our patients and also helps us to procure a histologically definitive diagnosis of such deep-seated tumours of the brain which are otherwise not amenable to open surgery. Nowadays, open surgery for such deep-seated tumours are very risky with a high rate of complications and minimally invasive vario-guided biopsy followed by radiation therapy or chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. These procedures require a very high level of planning and execution by a team of skilled neurosurgeons as there is absolutely no scope for any human errors. After careful planning, a very thin biopsy needle is slowly inserted through a 1-cm hole in the skull to sample a part of the tumour, the entire procedure been done under the guidance of neuro-navigation.
The Neurosurgery team at our hospital who successfully performed this procedure comprised Dr. Prakash Mahantshetti, Dr. Abhishek Patil, Dr. Vikram T P and Dr. Prakash Rathod. Our team has intense dedication to provide the best neurosurgical care and support to our patients.