Pouch of creativity: Patient’s abdomen stores piece of her skull!

Bengaluru: Priya (name changed), who is 45 years old, had no clue that her abdomen would act as a refrigerator or a depot for a part of her body, a piece of her skull bone in this case!

"Priya had a very large stroke on the right side of her brain, which paralysed her left hand and leg," said her surgeon, Dr Arvind Bhateja, Medical Director, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon of Sita Bhateja Specialty Hospital.

"The stroke was so large that her brain swelled exerting a tremendous pressure on the skull, which is a closed cavity. When the brain expands, it starts compressing the brain stem, putting the patient's life at serious risk. For us, the priority was to save her life and reduce the pressure around the brain," said Dr Arvind.

"We could have administered injections, but they could have a limited effect. We decided to conduct the surgery as it was the only permanent solution," explained Dr Arvind. The two-hour-long surgery saw the doctors cut open a part of the skull to give the brain space to expand. "It was a life-saving procedure and we eliminated the risk on patient's life by taking the pressure off the brain stem," said Dr Arvind.

The most interesting procedure followed the surgery. "We have to use the skull bone piece again after the swelling in the brain subsides. We needed to preserve it somewhere, and decided on storing it in the abdomen till the swelling comes down," said Dr Arvind.

"We made a tiny pouch on the abdominal wall and placed the skull piece in it. The bone might stay put in its temporary home for about a month as the swelling of the brain is expected to come down by then," he said.

"We decided on the abdominal pouch as chances of infection in abdomen are very low, as it is covered and protected by the skin. If it is stored in a refrigerator, the doctors have to sterilise it again. In Priya's case, however, we don't need to do that," he said. A pouch of creativity, we could say!