‘Patients of brain tumour in J&K don’t need to worry’

Dr Tyagi of Apollo Hospitals dismisses baseless fears about brain tumor and neurosurgery
• Various innovative neurological procedures highlighted
• Dr Sudhir Kumar Tyagi, Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery shared his experience in treating brain tumours
A leading neurosurgeon and Senior Consultant Neurosurgey at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi has dismissed many longstanding myths about brain tumours in Jammu and Kashmir and said such patients of the state can avail the modern treatment from the experts in the field to recover from the ailment quickly.
Dr Tyagi said that Brain tumor surgeries had become safer now as doctors can accurately determine the size and location of the tumour before and during surgery by using neuro-navigation technology.
“This helps in extracting the tumour without damaging surrounding healthy tissues, ensuring speedy recovery of the patient without additional complications,” he said.
He was speaking at an awareness came in Srinagar organised by Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi to dispel misconceptions about neurosurgery and also spread awareness about various treatment procedures,
Besides a range of topics, Dr Tyagi spoke about various forms of brain tumours and how doctors have found innovative treatment methods to deal with neurological ailments.
“Brain tumour is a growth of abnormal cells spread inside or around the brain. Though the reasons for their development are not fully known, some factors increase their risk. For example, the risk of certain types of brain tumour increases due to genetic and environmental causes. In some cases, brain tumours were found to be associated with exposure to X-rays in children,” Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi revealed.
Elaborating, Dr Tyagi said, “Tumours can be benign or malignant, that is, cancerous. The latter can only be treated via surgery, besides radiation therapy or chemotherapy (or sometimes both) after surgery.”
Once the surgery is done, a sample of the tumour is analysed by experts to deduce the future course of treatment and the possibility of recurrence. Typically, brain tumour surgeries are complex, requiring the intervention of highly-experienced doctors.
“Image guided brain surgeries are most helpful in specific cases. New techniques of imaging introduced during treatment – e.g., 3TESLA (MRI, PET MRI and Functional MRI) – have brought about a revolutionary change in identifying the type of brain tumour and its exact location,” he said.
Neurosurgery is among the branches of medicine witnessing the best innovations during the past 10 years. A range of neurological disorders – earlier considered incurable – are now treatable, leading to complete recovery by patients. “Brain tumour symptoms and allied complications include headache, vomiting, memory loss and difficulty in seeing or blurred vision,” Dr Tyagi said.
“Yet, fearing complications related to the brain, many people perceive neurological disorders as incurable and crippling,” he said.