Neurosurgery for glioblastoma

Gender: Male
Country: China
Age: 55
Diagnosis: Glioblastoma

Background

A 55 year old male was admitted into Beijing Tiantan Puhua International Hospital with the following complaints: progressing headache, nausea and vomiting for three months.

Medical condition pre surgery

The patient had suffered progressing headaches, nausea and vomiting without apparent cause for three months. It appeared to be distending pain of the whole head, without radiating pain. He had projectile vomiting, with some gastric contents. He did not receive a system treatment before coming to Beijing Tiantan Puhua International Hospital.

He was admitted into Beijing Tiantan Puhua International Hospital via ambulance. He was alert at that moment, with a low voice. He had weak myodynamia of his right upper and lower extremities at grade III - IV. Consequently, he was not able to move his right upper and lower extremities as freely as normal. Pathological reflexes were positive on the right side. His daily life was not independent.

Cerebral MRI revealed that there was unequally enhanced lump in the deep region of left temple. This lump was obviously surrounded by edema. It was considered a glioma of grade III - IV.

Surgical approach

A resection operation on a lesion via the frontal-temporal approach was performed. It was an arc incision. It was discovered that he had relatively high pressure on his brain tissue. The fissura ectolateralis could not be separated. A stoma was made via the cortical layer of left temple. The lump was removed by segmental resection. Surrounding the lesion, there was peripheral edema. In reference to the abundance of blood supply, the tumor appeared to be Gris Rouge, with a relatively tenacious texture. The surgery was four hours long.

Medical condition post surgery

No postoperative complications occurred, such as hematoma or epilepsy, etc. The incision healed well. Two weeks after surgery, he was discharged to his local hospital to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy via the blood brain barrier.

Seven months after surgery, a repeat cerebral MRI revealed no relapse of the tumor. The cerebral ventricle was slightly larger. The headache, nausea and vomiting symptoms disappeared. There was also an improvement of the myodynamia of the right extremities, with a grade IV - V. He is now able to walk by himself. He is very happy to be almost independent in his daily life.