A 35-year-old patient was operated on his brain while he plays his saxophone in a 9 hour long surgery.
The surgery took place at Paideia International Hospital at Rome, Italy. Dr Christian Brogna, neurosurgeon at the hospital explains, “The tumor was located in a very, very complex area of the brain,”.”Moreover, the patient is left-handed. This makes things more complicated because the neural pathways of the brain are much more complicated.”
The patient, identified only as C. Z. met with the doctor and his medical team regularly over 10 days before the surgery, for a meticulous preparation. During the meticulous preparation for the surgery, C.Z. had told the medical team that preserving his musical ability was essential to him.
“Every patient is unique, every brain is unique, so we really need to know the patient very well,” the doctor said.
“When we operate on the brain, we are operating on the sense of self, so we need to make sure that we do not damage the patient as a person — their personality, the way they feel emotions, the way they get through life. The patient will tell you what is important in his life and it is your job to protect his wishes,” he added.
The man played the theme song from the 1970 movie “Love Story,” and the Italian national anthem, at various times throughout the surgery. The surgery was a success and the doctor was proud that his patient was able to move in in his life still carrying the musical skill intact.
