Do you think you’ve seen it all? Then look at this: a professional guitarist underwent brain surgery… while he was awake and playing the guitar.
Christian Nolen had a tumor in his right frontal lobe. The problem wasn’t just the cancer, but the location: it was dangerously close to the area that controls the movements of his left hand. If traditional surgery damaged that area, Nolen would lose his ability to play. So the doctors decided to do something that sounds crazy: operate on him while he was awake.
“We were examining him to make sure we weren’t injuring the part that controls hand movement,” explained Dr. Ricardo Komotar.
The surgery was a success. Nolen is still undergoing treatment, but he’s already back to playing for fun. “It’s been shown that having the patient awake improves outcomes,” said Dr. Arman Dagal.
