A complex operation to remove a brain tumor for a one-and-a-half-year-old child

Friday,  20  Октябрь  2023

According to the child’s mother, the baby grew and developed fully until he was one year old and did not lag behind his peers. But then the first signs of illness began to appear. The mother noticed tearfulness and restlessness in her son, a pronounced disturbance in the movements of the eyeballs, periodic vomiting, and weakness in the left arm and leg.

The child’s parents went to City Children’s Hospital No. 2, where the child was examined by neurosurgeons and performed an MRI examination. According to the MRI results, the child was found to have a huge brain tumor measuring 7 cm, which was localized in the temporo-fronto-parietal lobe of the right hemisphere and in the projection of the right lateral ventricle.

For surgical treatment, the baby was sent to the National Center for Neurosurgery. As noted by the head of the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dr. Gabit Olenbay, the complexity of the operation was due to the rather large size of the tumor (6.5 * 6.8 * 7.1 cm), localized in functionally significant areas of the brain, which occupied almost half of the child’s brain. In addition, there was a high risk of operative blood loss, which could lead to severe complications.

“We performed microsurgical removal of a space-occupying lesion in the right parietal-temporal-frontal lobe of the brain. All modern techniques were used during the operation. In addition, the high qualifications of the personnel and the equipment of the operating unit of our Center played an important role in the success of the operation. At the moment, the child is undergoing postoperative treatment and is in the ward with his mother,” shared Dr. Gabit Olenbay.

It should be noted the high professionalism of the anesthesiologists. Carrying out an operation at such a tiny age is always accompanied by great difficulties in administering anesthesia. Careful monitoring of blood and breathing, extremely scrupulous calculation of anesthesia, enormous responsibility for the child’s life - all this lay on the shoulders of neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, transfusiologists, and paramedical personnel.

The operation was carried out by academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan Prof. Serik Akshulakov, neurosurgeon of the highest qualification category, head of the department of pediatric neurosurgery, professor of JSC “NCN” Dr. Gabit Olenbay, as well as neurosurgeon Dr. Saparbek Seitbekov. The operation was also accompanied by anesthesiologist-resuscitator Dr. Dzhumadulla Shadiev, nurse anesthesiologist Zhanar Arinova, transfusiologist Dr. Erbol Kuanyshev and operating nurse Arailym Chamkarova.

The operation took place on a quota basis, within the framework of compulsory medical insurance. A happy mother and her child are preparing for discharge.