A musician in Italy recently underwent a complex surgery to have a brain tumour removed while being awake and playing a saxophone.
The surgery at Rome's Paideia International Hospital lasted for over nine hours. The hospital said the tumour was located in a complex area and took a team of 10 experts from around the world to tackle it.
Such procedures are known as awake brain surgery. It allows doctors to check for patient's responses during the procedure and ensure they are not damaging brain areas responsible for speech, motor skills and language.
"Every awake surgery is a real discovery," Dr Christian Brogna, who led the surgery said. "Each time it offers us a window into the functioning of this fascinating, but still in many ways mysterious organ, which is the brain."
In this case, the patient had told doctors that it was absolutely essential for him to preserve his musical capability, CBS news reported.
To respect the patient's wishes, doctors had to tailor the surgery hugely. During the procedure, the man played the Italian national anthem and as well a film song, which allowed surgeons to map his brain functions as they progressed.
Brogna told CBS News surgeons can check for various faculties while a patient plays an instrument. It shows a patient's cognition is strong and they and coordinate their hands and exercise memory while interacting with the instrument.
"You can test vision because the patient has to see the instrument, and you can test the way the patient interacts with the rest of the team," he added.
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