A violinist helped the doctors at King's College Hospital in London not to damage a large area of ​​her brain by playing her instrument during the operation to remove her tumor.

Surgeons have developed a technique to verify in real time that the areas of the brain responsible for hand movement were not affected during this delicate procedure.

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Dagmar Turner, a 53-year-old musician, member of the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra in southern England, was diagnosed in 2013 with a slow-growing tumor. She asked to be operated on when the tumor developed. The intervention took place in January, said King's College Hospital which released the footage of the operation on Wednesday, February 19.

"The idea of ​​not being able to play anymore broke my heart"

The idea of ​​playing the musician while waking her up in the middle of the operation was intended to protect in particular important cells located in the right frontal lobe of her brain. This area, located right next to the operated one, controls, among other things, the left hand, essential for playing the instrument.

"The idea of ​​not being able to play anymore broke my heart," said Dagmar Turner, who thanked the medical team for doing "everything possible", even going so far as to predict in which position to operate for that she can play.

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"We do about 400 resections [removal of tumors] per year, which often involves waking patients up for language tests," said surgeon responsible for Operation Keyoumars Ashkan, "but it was the first time I had a patient play an instrument. "

According to him, 90% of the tumor was removed, "including all the areas suspected of aggressive activity", while allowing the violinist to "keep full use of her left hand". "Thanks to them, I hope to be able to return to my orchestra very soon," said Dagmar Turner, who left the hospital three days after his operation.

With AFP

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