Kazakh neurosurgeons at Children’s City Clinical Hospital No. 2 in Almaty, working with a leading specialist from Germany, removed a brain hamartoma from an eight-year-old patient. The rare congenital condition results from abnormal development of brain tissue.
The child had neurological disorders from birth, including episodes of involuntary laughter, sleep and speech problems, delayed psycholinguistic development, headaches and loss of consciousness. The hamartoma was causing epileptic seizures.
The patient had been monitored by specialists and treated with medication for several years, and had undergone previous surgical procedures. The seizures continued despite treatment, making another stage of neurosurgical care necessary.
The operation took place during an international practical master class attended by Professor Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale, head of pediatric neurosurgery at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany.
The professor and the hospital’s neurosurgical team removed the growth using microsurgery, neuronavigation and intraoperative neuromonitoring. The technologies help surgeons navigate complex brain structures accurately and monitor important functional areas during surgery.
The master class was organized with financial support from the public foundation Dobrovolnoe Obshchestvo Miloserdie. Specialists performed five complex operations, consulted patients and held practical training events for Kazakh doctors.
Hospital director Marat Rabandiyarov said it was important for children with complex brain conditions to have access to high-tech medical care in Kazakhstan. Children’s City Clinical Hospital No. 2 continues to develop pediatric neurosurgery and surgical treatment of epilepsy.
