A King Fahd Hospital medical team has succeeded in operating on a 20-year-old man's brain in a two-hour surgical procedure, by entering the area through his nose, without making an incision. The man, who was in a coma after a car accident, suffered from a paralyzed left facial nerve and a tear in the covering of the brain, also known as the tura mater. This was caused by several fractures in the basal skull. The problem has now been treated through the procedure, said head of the surgical team, nose surgery consultant Dr. Muhammad Mahmoud Zahran. Such fractures can cause leakage of the brain fluid – the cerebrospinal fluid - into the pituitary sinuses and then the nose, which can cause severe inflammation or brain abscesses. “The patient's condition is stable,” said Zahran. “With technological advancements, surgeons can now reach, through the nose opening, the eyes, the pituitary gland and cavities in the basal skull with special devices and without the need for an incision in the face or head,” he added. He said the leaking spot was grafted with a graft from the patient's thigh. A tube was placed in the back to keep the brain fluid pressure low. This kept the graft in place during the first days of the recovery period. The patient has since recovered and has been discharged, Zahran said.
