"Man With Tumor Was Awake, Talking During Brain Surgery" - Michael George
As surgeons work to save his life, Colin Alevras is awake and talking. Recognizing pictures and even cracking jokes are some of the things Alveras was doing while doctors were operating on his brain. Alveras never expected to be here. One night, he was unable to speak and learned it was a brain tumor, larger than two inches. Constantinos Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, site chair of neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and professor of neurosurgery and oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Alveras that it had to be removed immediately. The tumor was located near the language center of Alveras’ brain, so the surgical team needed to keep him awake and talking during the surgery to see if his speech was affected. Dr. Hadjipanayis used a brand new piece of technology during the surgery, the first of its kind in New York. It’s a robotic digital microscope called Modus-V, like a GPS for the brain to help surgeons locate and reach the tumor while avoiding the critical language part of the brain. “We can visualize the tumor better with a robotic-assisted digital monitoring microscope, and hopefully perform safer surgery," said Dr. Hadjipanayis. Alveras is now home recovering, the surgeons were able to remove most of the tumor, but he’ll still need more treatment.
- Constantinos Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, Site Chair, Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Professor, Neurosurgery, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai