Dangerous tumors occupy the “command” of the brain

News from this newspaper (Reporter Zhou Xin Correspondent Qiu Huanmin) The brain stem is called the “forbidden area of ​​life”, but a tumor occupies one-fifth of it four areas. In the face of this treatment problem with a high fatality rate and high disability rate, the neurosurgery team of the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University broke through the siege and accurately “defused bombs”. At present, the patient’s various neurological functions are well preserved and have recovered smoothly.

The 27-year-old Xiao Xiao was recently diagnosed with a brainstem tumor in a local hospital due to gastrointestinal discomfort, which was getting thinner and weaker, and was accompanied by a slight slanted corner of the mouth. Due to the location of the tumor covering four-fifths of the brainstem, the risk of surgical treatment is extremely high. At the suggestion of the local doctor, Xiao Xiao was transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Su University for treatment.

After admission, Yu Zhengquan, chief physician of the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, immediately organized a consultation, continuously improved the surgical plan, and finally selected the best first-level and second-level brainstem lesions for the patient according to the characteristics of the patient’s condition. surgical approach. Recently, with the tacit cooperation of the anesthesia team and nursing team, Yu Zhengquan led Wu Jiang and Dr. Zhai Weiwei to carry out the operation together.

During the operation, the surgical team accurately found the brainstem lesions under the guidance of the neuronavigation system. According to the electrophysiological monitoring prompts, Yu Zhengquan followed the concept of “peripheral resection” and methodically followed the brainstem to “finely carve” the tumor. Fine cut”, gradually cut off. It is worth mentioning that the concept of “border patrol and excision” was first proposed by Yu Zhengquan and promoted in China.

As the tumor was removed little by little, the operation also came to the medulla oblongata of the brainstem, and the difficulty increased sharply. It is reported that the medulla oblongata is the basic center necessary to maintain breathing, circulation and other life. If the medulla oblongata is damaged, it may cause rapid death of the patient, so the medulla oblongata is also known as the “life center”. Near the medulla oblongata, Yu Zhengquan’s team found that the tumor tissue was calcified, extremely hard, and difficult to remove. At the same time, rapid intraoperative pathology also yielded results, suggesting a low-grade glioma, which means that if the tumor is completely resected, the patient is expected to achieve long-term survival.

At this time, the operation has entered the most critical stage. In order to improve the quality of life of the patients after the operation, Yu Zhengquan concentrated on protecting the normal brainstem tissue and completed it little by little with the most gentle movements” Defusing the bomb”, completely resecting the brain stem tumor. The operation took more than 4 hours. At present, Xiao Xiao is recovering well and is about to be discharged from the hospital.

This time Xiao Xiao had atypical brainstem symptoms, prominently manifested in indigestion, constipation and other symptoms, which may be caused by the involvement of the vagus nerve from the brainstem. Yu Zhengquan reminded that if you have the above symptoms, you should be vigilant, and it is recommended to go to the hospital for a head MRI to confirm the diagnosis.