Endoscopic surgeries, also known as minimally invasive surgeries, make use of game-changing medical technologies that have revolutionised the landscape of medical treatment. They have gained importance in neurosurgery because they don’t require big incisions and thereby accelerate the patient’s recovery, helping doctors treat tumours better.
Dr Aditya Mantry, consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata, said today, it was possible to perform the elaborate surgeries of the past through small incisions now, and sometimes even without an incision, through natural orifices. “Endoscopic surgeries are usually done through the natural orifices of the brain, of the body, like the nose, or by making a very small incision over the scalp… For example, most commonly, endoscopy is used for pituitary surgeries or other skull-based surgeries,” he added.
This technique is advantageous because it allows doctors to examine a tumour closely and get a panoramic view, which was not possible in the past. It lets doctors aim for maximal safe resection, which increases the chances of complete removal of the tumour. It also reduces the dose of postoperative radiation therapy.
Neuro-endoscopy helps doctors successfully target deep-seated brain tumours through the use of endoscopes. Neuro-navigation, offered by the use of an endoscope, has allowed surgeons to reach the remotest and deepest parts of the brain to get a clearer picture of the position and state of a tumour. Dr Mantry said, “With the advent of neuro-navigation, it’s now possible to specifically reach that particular part of the brain, even if it is in the remotest or deepest part, and we can remove the tumour under direct vision.”
Since neuro-endoscopy offers such precision while removing a tumour, post-operative recovery of the patient is speedy with lesser side-effects..
India is rapidly adopting these game-changing medical technologies across all major cities. Kolkata has become the go-to destination for patients in eastern India with state-of-the-art medical infrastructure and availability of new-age medical treatments. However, a significant portion of the population is still unaware of the existence and accessibility of these life-saving treatments. There is also a lack of awareness on the advantages of these treatments, with people often being reluctant to use new technologies like endoscopy, especially in neurosurgery, out of the fear of possible side effects.
Apollo Multispecialty Hospital, Kolkata, has outlined the procedure of the use and advantages of endoscopes in neurosurgery. As Dr. Mantry pointed out, endoscopes have many other applications, the most common of which is Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV). The doctor said, “ETV is used to treat Obstructive Hydrocephalus. Sometimes, it is also used for other cystic lesions of the brain, where we can use an endoscope to make fenestrations in the cyst and communicate it with the natural CSF cavities of the brain”.
All of these advantages of the endoscope in neurosurgery, combined with advanced infrastructure and qualified teams of doctors at Apollo Multispecialty Hospital, Kolkata, have made medical care precise and neurosurgery accessible to people in the region. With facilities comparable to the best across India and the world, patients can now forgo their worries and focus on speedy recovery.
