The patient himself who recited the Hanuman Chalisa for three hours while doctors removed a tumour from his brain

To point docs to right spot, man recites prayers during brain op

Jaipur:

It’s usually relatives who recite religious verses when a patient goes under the knife, but at a private hospital in Jaipur, it was the patient himself who recited the Hanuman Chalisa for three hours while doctors removed a tumour from his brain.

A 30-year-old accountant from Dungargarh of Bikaner district hesitated when doctors told him they’d conduct brain surgery under local anaesthesia, but agreed when they explained that it was the only way they could ensure that his speech would be unaffected.

“He had a tumour in the part of brain that controls speech. We decided to keep him awake and talk to him during surgery to ensure that his ability to speak was not affected. If we noticed even a minor change in his speech during surgery, we would have taken corrective measures. He recited the Hamuman Chalisa all the time, and we operated successfully,” said Dr KK Bansal, senior consultant of neurosurgery at a private hospital.

The surgery was conducted on November 14, but doctors disclosed details of the procedure only a month later after ascertaining that the tumour had been removed and there were no side-effects. Doctors said the man had epileptic seizures for three months. They did a biopsy and diagnosed a grade two brain tumour. Doctors in Jaipur agreed to perform the surgery, known as awake craniotomy.

Last year, a man in Bengaluru who’d lost the use of three fingers played the guitar while undergoing brain surgery to correct the problem.