Mumbai: A 53-year-old man suffering from a rare brain disease, a brain aneurysm gets a new lease of life after doctors successfully performed a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt.
Madhav Khanwilkar (name changed), a resident of Goregaon, fainted during the night following which his relatives admitted him to Apex Hospital in Kandivali in the first week of June.
Dr Samir Parekh, a neurosurgeon, said that the patient was brought in a semi-conscious state with bleeding inside the brain.
“We performed a VP shunt that drained excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain to the abdominal cavity with a thin silicone tube. The patient was discharged and he has been advised to undergo a Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) after six weeks,” explained Dr Parekh.
Cases of cerebral aneurysms higher than projected
According to doctors, around 76,000 to 2 lakh cases of cerebral aneurysms are reported every year in India. However, the numbers are likely to go high if cases in remote villages are also counted.
Very severe headaches, vomiting, neck pain, constant weakness, dizziness or seizures are the symptoms of this disease. “Moreover, about 25 to 35% of people who experience a brain aneurysm rupture die within 24 hours, so timely intervention is more important,” said the doctor.
