Novel surgery performed in eastern Cuba

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24 July 2020

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Holguin, Cuba, Jul 24 (Prensa Latina) For the first time in eastern Cuba, a resection of a glioma in the left temporal lobule was performed successfully using intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM).

In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, Dr. Freddy Varona, chief of the Neurosurgery Service at the Lucia Iñiguez Landin Hospital, in Holguin province, explained that the 48-year-old patient, Erides Almarales, was operated on using this novel procedure based on several techniques to remove a 7x7-cm malignant tumor.

'Due to its location, size and the fact that is one of the most aggressive lesions that affects the central nervous system, we decided to combine the fluorescein protocol (a medication that colors the most vascularized and damaged zones) and microscopic surgery with IONM, to be able to differentiate, through the brain's electrical patter, the healthy tissue from the damaged one,' he noted.

The invasive action did not cause any new lesions, said Brain Surgeon Jose Miguel Pastor, another member of the team.

Days after surgery, the patient, who lives in a rural town in Baguanos municipality, has most functions and there is no clinical or physical evidence of any sequel caused by the surgery.

Dr. Varona noted that for the medical team, the surgery was a satisfaction, because it compares to those performed in developed countries.

Performing that procedure in Cuba, at times of Covid-19 and amid the US economic blockade, which causes shortages of resources, shows the achievements and high quality of Cuban medicine, he underlined.