Advanced surgery helps 85-year-old speak after 4 yrs
Trigeminal neuralgia is caused by a blood vessel lying very close to the trigeminal nerve that transmits pain sensations from the face to the brain.
CHENNAI: An 85-year-old got back his ability to speak again, four years after successfully being operated on for a neuro procedure at a private hospital in the city recently.
The patient had been suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, which is shock-like pain on the left side of the face. It increased in intensity and frequency so much that he was unable to talk, eat, brush his teeth or even shave for 4 years
Trigeminal neuralgia is caused by a blood vessel lying very close to the trigeminal nerve that transmits pain sensations from the face to the brain. After consulting at Kauvery Hospital, a microvascular decompression surgery was planned.
Dr Krish Sridhar, senior neurosurgeon and group mentor, neurosciences, at the hospital, said that initially, they weren’t sure if the patient was medically fit to undergo the surgery. “MVD is a low-risk surgery that does not destroy any normal structure of the brain. Through surgery, we simply move the offending vessel away from the nerve,” he added.
After waking up from anaesthesia, the patient did not experience any facial pain at all, and he was able to speak.
