Local neurosurgeon making headway, aims to perform ‘Awake brain surgery’

Jul 11, 2019 News

─to participate in World Course in Advanced Brain Tumor Surgery in London

Even though he has been making progress with medical advancements locally, Head of the Neurology Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi believes in expanding his knowledge. This way, he can better serve the Guyanese community and ultimately improve the delivery of health care locally.

Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi, Head of the Neurology Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Dr. Dukhi will be participating in the 8th Annual World Course in Advanced Brain Tumour Surgery. The event is organised by the World Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and will take place in London from July 18-21. The forum will bring together some of the world’s most distinguished neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, neuro-oncologists and leaders with interest in oncology, brain plasticity and neural functions, where they will share new treatments, research and strategies to enhance the specialty.
According to CNS, they aim to bring the best in surgical techniques, advanced technologies and treatment options to neurosurgeons, treating patients with brain tumours, in all parts of the world. For this year’s conference, they will include eight live surgeries from some of the world’s best university institutions with awake craniotomies and glioma surgeries, a cavernous sinus and skull base tumours, endoscopic pituitary surgery and, resection of a vascular lesion from an eloquent part of the brain.
Highlights of the four-day event include the introduction of the programme, “The anatomy behind my surgery”, where leading surgeons explain the critical surgical anatomy; hands-on practical workshops, debates and discussions on research in neuro-oncology, and awake craniotomy among others.
Participants will also be exposed to learning about non-surgical treatments in brain tumours from the leaders in clinical and medical neuro-oncology.

Dr. Dukhi in the operating theatre

In addition to participating in the prestigious event, Dr. Dukhi was invited to a specially accredited course in the use of the latest technology in identifying and removing brain tumours. The course called the ‘Gliolan training’ is aimed at risk minimisation and the support of safe and effective use of a brain tumour visualisation drug known as Gliolan. It assists neurosurgeons to completely remove malignant brain tumours by causing them to become fluorescent during surgery.
He explained that he will be “accredited to give the patient the medication to use and then that medication will be captured by the cancerous cells of the brain and during surgery, that area where the tumour exists will be lit up so it’s called fluorescence guided tumour resection”. This type of procedure will also be the first to be introduced to Guyana.
He told the Department of Public Information: “It is a privilege and honour to attend such a prestigious conference of the council of neurological surgeons. It’s one of the most recognised international advanced brain tumour surgical conferences where you can interact and share ideas with the best neurosurgeons who are well trained in removing difficult brain tumours. I do look forward to using the knowledge gained in London to provide improved service to the Guyanese population”.
Dr. Dukhi further highlighted that the training would provide him with an opportunity to witness firsthand an awake craniotomy, a procedure that specifically piqued his interest as he hopes to perform this complex technique in Guyana soon.
“With this advanced training in London, I will improve my skills to deal with difficult tumours deep within the brain and besides that, this course is especially associated with something that I always wanted to bring back to the region, making Guyana the first country in the English speaking country in South America to perform an Awake Brain Surgery.”
In the past year, Dr. Dukhi has pioneered two significant surgeries in Guyana, including a Vault C Anterior Cervical Fusion System (ACDF) implant and just recently a minimally invasive brain aneurysm surgery. He received training in Guyana, Cuba, United Stated States of America and additional training from several countries around the world. His desire to become a neurosurgeon began in 2009 when he was offered a Scholarship to a full residency master’s degree majoring in Neurosurgery at the Calixto Garcia’s Medical University, Havana Cuba. (DPI)

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