Wooden fragment removed from patient's brain

Crash victim survives rare foreign body retrieval surgery

MULTAN:

Doctors at Nishtar Hospital removed a five-inch wooden fragment that had entered a young traffic accident victim's eye and penetrated his brain, saving his life in a complex surgery carried out jointly by neurosurgery and ophthalmology specialists.

Twenty-year-old Muhammad Faheem was brought to the hospital's emergency department in critical condition after sustaining severe injuries in a traffic accident.

Hospital officials said emergency teams, led by Director Emergency Dr Zahid, carried out diagnostic tests and alerted the ophthalmology and neurosurgery departments after assessing the seriousness of his condition. Spokesperson for Nishtar Hospital Rao Naushad said test reports revealed that what initially appeared to be a wooden object lodged in the patient's eye had in fact entered through the eye socket and extended into the brain.

The fragment measured nearly five inches in length, making the case highly delicate and life-threatening. Following the diagnosis, Principal Nishtar Medical College and Head of Ophthalmology Dr Rashid Qamar Rao assigned a specialist ophthalmology team, including senior postgraduate resident Dr Waheedullah and Senior Registrar Dr Nosherwan Adil, to assist in the surgery.

The neurosurgery department assigned Senior Registrar Dr Ahmad Shah, Dr Abdullah Umar and other specialists to the operation.

The lengthy and intricate procedure was led by neurosurgeon Dr Ahmad Shah, assisted by Dr Abdullah Umar and the ophthalmology team. Throughout the surgery, Dr Rashid Qamar Rao supervised the ophthalmology side and remained in constant coordination with the surgical team.

Doctors said the wooden fragment was removed with exceptional precision without causing further damage to the patient's brain, eye structure, or vision.

Dr Ahmad Shah described the procedure as a highly complex "foreign body retrieval" surgery, saying the case was especially challenging because the object had damaged the eye and extended into the brain.

He said the role of ophthalmology specialists was critical in ensuring that the patient's eye structure and eyesight were preserved while the object was extracted without harming the brain.

"This was an extremely delicate surgery, but by the grace of Allah, we were able to remove the foreign object successfully without damaging the brain or vision," he said.

Nishtar Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Mehnaz Khakwani and Medical Superintendent Dr Rao Amjad Ali Khan congratulated the surgical team on the successful operation.