A 38-year-old Kolkata woman, 16 weeks pregnant through IVF, survived a rare and high-risk brain surgery after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage due to a bleeding tumour. The critical procedure, performed last month at Charnock Hospital, saved both the mother and the foetus.
The woman was rushed to the emergency department with severe headaches and drowsiness. A brain scan revealed a significant intracranial haemorrhage, while an ultrasound confirmed the presence of a live foetus, according to TOI.
A multidisciplinary team led by neurosurgeon Dr. Rohit Mishra, consultant neurosurgeon, and Dibyendu Banerjee, consultant obstetrician decided on an urgent craniotomy—a complex procedure involving temporary skull removal to access and treat the brain.
It is one of the most complex neurological procedures.
“Since she was pregnant, extensive radiological tests were ruled out, and we had to restrict tests to minimise foetal risk. While we could see the bleeding inside brain with a CT scan, we couldn’t do further tests to determine the cause. We came across the tumour only after the skull was opened,” said Mishra.
The team successfully removed the large brain tumour and the associated blood clot. The patient showed remarkable recovery, with follow-up scans confirming complete tumour removal and normal foetal development. While she remains under medical supervision, doctors have termed her case as extremely rare and a medical success.