A 30 year old patient Ms. Manisha Kumawat, resident of Jaipur, was unable to see from her right eye for the last 2 years. She consulted an ophthalmologist who recommended to undergo a CT scan; however she never had any headache or neurological problem but the reason for her losing the vision was not found through routine eye check. CT scan confirmed brain tumour and was advised to consult a neurosurgeon. Since she had no symptom of headache it came as a shock for Manisha as well as her family.
She consulted a few neurosurgeons and was referred to Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Jaipur, where she was admitted under Dr. K.K. Bansal, Consultant & HOD Department of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Bansal examined the case and after detailed investigations that includes an MRI & CT scan, he concluded that the tumour was located in the pituitary lobe of brain. Pituitary tumour can cause visual symptoms because it sits near important structures in the brain that are meant for vision. These include:
- The optic nerves and optic chiasm (that brings vision from the eye to the brain)
- Nerves that make the eyes move correctly
In this case, a minimally invasive surgery Transnasal Transsphenoidal removal of Pituitary Tumour (TNTS) was performed by using an endoscope through the nose and sphenoid sinus. Transsphenoidal literally means “through the sphenoid sinus.”
The biggest challenge in such surgery is that the optic chiasm can be damaged during surgery & if vision problems were present before surgery, decompression may not restore normal visual function. The nerve may have been permanently damaged by the tumour. But our skilled neurosurgeon and team successfully removed the tumour restoring the vision of the patient.