By Isanella Patoir
isanella@newsroom.gy
The Neurosurgery Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) recently performed a record eight complex brain tumours within six days, marking a significant step in advancing neurosurgery.
This is a direct result of the acquisition of the state-of-the-art $69 million CUSA Clarity surgical system, a first for Guyana and the Caribbean region.
The surgeries are part of ‘Operation Brain Tumour’ that was created to clear the backlog of complex brain tumours.
GPHC’s Chief Neurosurgeon Dr. Amarnauth Duhki highlighted the transformative impact of the equipment during a press briefing on Monday and stated, “The CUSA is one of the most surgically advanced equipment for the removal of delicate tumours in very difficult areas of the brain.”
With the CUSA clarity equipment, surgical time is reduced significantly, complications are also minimised and it also allows for precision during surgery.
Previously, such complex surgeries had to be performed overseas and, as Dr. Duhki explained, this was not due to lack of skilled personnel “but because we were not fully equipped to safely remove these type of brain tumours.”
Of the eight surgeries performed last week, seven were successfully completed on the first attempt.
“We had one case where we had to re-intervene and it was completed and done safely,” the neurosurgeon said while explaining that this particular patient suffered a brain bleed post-op.
Five patients have already been discharged from the hospital.
One remarkable case involved a 10-year-old boy from Leguan who had a complex brain tumour. His mother, Lalita Singh, recounted their journey, describing how her son began experiencing symptoms such as vomiting and headaches earlier this year in May.
He was taken to the Leguan Hospital where he was treated for stomach issues. Singh recalled that the vomiting eased for a while.
“Then in August he take down again with the vomiting and this time he started with headaches and eye aches and I decided to take him to the eye doctor,” the mother explained.
There she was informed that his eye nerves are swollen and an MRI was recommended. The young child was then diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumor that forms in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
His surgery took six hours but without the CUSA clarity equipment, would have taken 10-12 hours. Singh said he could not stand without support and is now able to walk by himself.
“It wasn’t an easy journey for us and the journey has not ended but I have to say thanks to Dr Duhki and team…I am grateful for everything,” Singh said.
Another notable success, Dr Duhki revealed, was the case of a 22-year-old woman who had been sent back from the United Kingdom after doctors there deemed her brain tumour inoperable.
“She came here, we took the challenge and we removed the tumour and she will be discharged tomorrow, she is sitting up in bed and talking to us,” Dr Duhki said.
This, he said, is a testament to the advanced surgical services now available at the hospital.
Dr. Duhki further emphasised the hospital’s advancement in the Caribbean region, noting that it now offers vascular neurosurgical care and minimally invasive surgeries for brain aneurysms.
Recently, a nine-year-old child with a massive arteriovenous malformation (AVM), was successfully treated surgically at GPHC, further demonstrating the hospital’s expanding capabilities.
“Not only the department but GPHC has advanced regionally, in terms of what services we offer and in terms of neurosurgery capacity,” Dr Duhki said.
