Another critical surgery of a 45-year-old woman with a large potato-sized brain tumor was carried out in Brahmananda Narayana Multispeciality Hospital which is located on the outskirts of Jamshedpur.

Namita Rajak (45), a resident of Galudih in East Singhbhum, was operated by a team of doctors led by Dr. Rajiv Maharshi, (Consultant - Neurosurgeon) on Tuesday, October 27.

“The surgery took four hours and the tumor was completely excised as a whole. Post-operation the patient recovered well and her behavioral changes have returned to near normal and she was discharged from hospital in stable condition,” said Dr. Maharshi.

Namita was suffering from headaches for the last one year and was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of altered behavior irritability. Before coming to BNMH she underwent treatment for the same by several local doctors including psychiatrists but she was not relieved of her problem.

When she came to the neurosurgery OPD of BNMH, she was advised MRI of the brain by Dr. Rajiv Maharshi, Consultant - Neurosurgeon.

The MRI showed a large potato-sized tumor on her right side of the brain, which was meningioma.

Meningioma is a highly vascular tumor of the brain, commonly seen in middle-aged females.

Most of the meningioma is curable, but bigger tumors may lead to risks as they continue to put pressure on the brain which may even lead to an emergency situation.

Conventional craniotomy was done tumor was excised under heavy bleeding.

According to Dr. Maharshi, the size of meningioma varies from peanut to large-sized potato. “Often, meningioma causes no symptoms and requires no immediate treatment. But its growth can cause serious problems. In some cases, such growth can be fatal. Meningioma is the most common type of tumor that originates in the central nervous system,” he explained.

The neurosurgeon also said that causes of meningioma are multifactorial, one of which is radiation exposure, especially in childhood.

“The common symptoms of this tumor are seizure, headache and vomiting, weakness of the body part, behavioral changes, etc. Early diagnosis is the key, never ignore such symptoms and consult a doctor to reduce upcoming risks,” he added.

The patient, Namita Rajak, thanked the hospital and the doctors for operating the tumor and saving her life. “I am thankful to the hospital and the team of doctors who carried out the critical surgery and saved my life. I was released from the hospital two days after the surgery. Now, I don't feel any pain in my head. I have been prescribed certain medicines which I will have to continue taking for one month,” she said.