London - A laser that bounces beams of light off the brain has been used in surgery in the UK for the first time.
The technology can distinguish healthy from diseased tissue, making the operation faster and more accurate.
Precision is particularly important in brain surgery, as taking away too much tissue can permanently damage speech, memory and other vital functions.
Twenty-two year old Reuben Hill, the only person to be given the laser treatment anywhere in the world outside Canada, has made a complete recovery.
A keen singer, he had a golf ball-sized tumour in a part of the brain that deals with language and communication.
Kevin O’Neill, head of neurosurgery at Imperial College London, which is carrying out a trial of the laser, said: “The potential is amazing”. Mr Hill, who by coincidence is studying physics at Imperial, was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he collapsed in his bedroom. Until then, he had been fit and healthy and enjoyed judo and singing in a choir.
Speaking to the BBC before his operation, Mr Hill said: “My inner scientist is fascinated by what they are going to do. Understanding the physics involved definitely makes it less frightening.” During the operation at London’s Charing Cross Hospital, surgeons used a near-infrared laser probe to shine a beam of light on Mr Hill’s brain.
Fibre optics in the probe then collected the light that bounced back and the pattern was analysed.
Healthy and abnormal tissue produce slightly different patterns, allowing medics to work out which tissue to cut and which to spare. The whole process takes just a couple of seconds. In contrast, the lab tests that are normally done mid-operation take up to 40 minutes.
Despite the promise of the technology, the surgeons did not rely on it alone to ensure the operation was a success. They actually woke up Mr Hill during the surgery and asked him to sing. His rendition of the hymn 10 000 Reasons reassured surgeons that they hadn’t damaged areas key to speech.
Now, several months on, the operation has been judged a complete success, although Mr Hill’s health will be monitored closely in the years to come.
The student is looking forward to returning to his physics PhD and says the experience has given him a new perspective on life. He said: “I’ll be remembering just to be happy.”
Around 16 000 Britons a year are diagnosed with a brain tumours - and more children and adults under 40 die from the condition than from any other cancer.
Trial leader Babar Vaqas added: “Optical technologies like this are the future. They are fast and don’t destroy any tissue and could be used during many types of cancer surgery or when dealing with infection like a brain abscess.
“Having a device that takes less than a second to tell the difference between healthy and cancerous tissue means we could potentially avoid taking unnecessary biopsies, and also perform more surgeries in a day.”
Sue Farrington Smith, of charity Brain Tumour Research, which is part-funding the trial, said: “Advances in brain tumour surgery such as this are very exciting and give hope to the thousands of patients and their families diagnosed with a brain tumour each year.”
Daily Mail