Brain surgery with eyes wide open!

A team of Australian neurosurgeons have performed a landmark brain surgery procedure while the patient was awake.

The team at a Canberra Hospital carried out the brain surgery on 77 year old John James who had a life-threatening aneurysm on a blood vessel in his brain.

The aneurysm was causing vision loss and dizzy spells and was carried out while he was awake so the surgeons could test his vision.

The large blister was behind his eyes and was supplied by the arteries that feed the eyes.

Dr. Vini Khurana, speaking for the team, says keyhole surgery was used and though they performed the operation while the patient was awake he was comfortable and interactive with the doctors.

The team initially rehearsed the procedure using virtual surgical software.

Dr. Khurana says that during the operation the neurosurgeons used eye pieces with a multi-dimensional MRI scan of the patient's head displayed on them.

They also used a new ultrasound probe that measures blood flow during such surgery.

The medical team says the procedure represents a world first.

The surgeons operated through a 1.5cm hole drilled into the patients skull and it was so successful that the patient was able to leave hospital within a few days, with no trace of the aneurysm remaining.

Dr. Khurana says the patient has reported a marked improvement in his vision, and the hospital has since used the technique successfully on other patients.