In a remarkable medical procedure, doctors at Loma Linda University Health in California made the decision to disable half of a girl’s brain to save her life.
Patient Brianna Bodley, 6, was diagnosed with Rasmussen encephalitis, a condition characterized by brain inflammation. If she had not been treated, this disease could have caused permanent brain damage and deterioration of her motor skills.
However, thanks to the trained medical team, Bodley now has the opportunity to lead a normal life despite one side of his brain being disabled.
When a doctor asked 6-year-old Brianna Bodley about her headache, she responded without moving. Her mother gently held her hand and encouraged her to explain where her head hurt.
How did doctors save Brianna’s life?
Dr. Aaron Robison, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Loma Linda University Health, recently performed a delicate 10-hour surgery to disconnect half of Brianna’s brain, and the stitches from the procedure are still fresh.
“After surgery, the entire left side of her body is disconnected,” said the girl’s mother, Crystal Bodley.
Last year, doctors diagnosed Brianna with Rasmussen encephalitis, a rare disease that affects about 500 children each year in the United States.
She used to be a vibrant young woman who loved to sing, dance and read. However, she began to experience daily debilitating seizures that would eventually cause learning difficulties and paralysis.
“His leg kept bending and he had trouble walking.” Bodley said.
As seizures and inflammation damaged one side of Brianna’s brain, that part of her brain shrank. We initially met Brianna in January when she was treated with anti-seizure medications and steroids, but her condition continued to worsen.
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“Sometimes he would talk to me and say he was scared, but I told him, ‘I know it’s scary, but you’ll be okay,'” said his sister Torie Bodley.
Robinson explained that Brianna’s best action was to turn off half of her brain.
“Simply disconnecting it is enough to stop the disease completely and potentially cure it.” he said.
In the past, doctors used to remove half of the brain, but that approach often resulted in more complications.
Nowadays, it is possible to disconnect the part of the brain that does not work. Robinson explained that an elegant way to do this is through the natural opening in the brain, known as the Sylvian fissure.
“That allows us to cut the white matter of the thalamus here,” he said.
The left hemisphere of Brianna’s brain has taken over the functions previously performed by the right side. However, medical professionals emphasize that even with only half a brain you can lead a full life.
“Brianna will still be the same person, even after half of her brain is disconnected.” Robinson said.
Brianna may experience some loss of peripheral vision and fine motor skills in her left hand.
Still, with the help of different physical therapies, doctors anticipate that he will return to his normal, seizure-free state.
“I just want to see their little Brianna running around doing her artwork and having fun like always,” said her grandmother, Chris Breheim.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn