Brain tumor : a patient plays the sax during its operation

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Published the 02.09.2017 at 13h23

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tumeuropérationmusique

For the past few years, the operations without general anaesthesia tend to develop, particularly thanks to the surgical procedures performed under hypnosis. And this is all the more impressive when it comes to the operations of the brain. The patient american Dan Fabbio has recently experienced. While he was getting surgery, he is engaged in an activity surprising. In effect, the patient was able to play the saxophone throughout the intervention.

The music teacher was only 25 years, when, in 2015, doctors have announced that he was suffering from a brain tumour. Benign, this tumour is, however, potentially problematic for this patient since it is housed in the part of the brain that made use of his cognitive functions needed to play music.

The extraction of a tumor may in fact present numerous risks, including damage to the brain tissue and to sever the connections between different areas of the brain. The professor of neurology of the medical Centre of the University of Rochester (New York) Web Pilcher, however, has found the solution to the problem of Dan Fabbio: make him play the saxophone while he removes the tumor.

Brain mapping

The objective of this study, published in the journal Current Biology, explained the Pr Pilcher, in a press release, was to establish a mapping of the brain regions that are involved when the patient begins to make music. “It is essential to anticipate as much as possible the consequences of the operation on each patient before bringing them in the operating room. This allows you to perform the procedure without causing damage to the parts of the brain whose functions are important for the daily life of the patient.”

To establish the mapping of the brain, professor Pilcher has sought the assistance of the neurologist Brad Mahon, but also of Elizabeth Marvin, professor of music theory at the Eastman school of music in Rochester. The experts have divided the brain areas of Dan Fabbio into three distinct parts.