TAWAU: Tawau Hospital has performed its first awake craniotomy procedure on Monday, marking a milestone in its neurosurgical services.
The State Health Department said the surgery was carried out through collaboration between the hospital’s neurosurgery team and neuro-anaesthesiology specialists from Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital II.
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The procedure was led by Dr Tan Shze Ee and Dr Andy Yap Teck Cheng, with support from Dr Ting Mei Sze, a neuro-anaesthesiologist, together with the anaesthesiology team of Tawau Hospital, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.
The patient, a 48-year-old woman who developed a brain lesion in November last year, did not respond satisfactorily to initial treatment and experienced worsening symptoms.
Surgical intervention was subsequently recommended to improve her quality of life.
An awake craniotomy is a brain surgery performed while the patient remains conscious, enabling surgeons to assess surgical effectiveness and monitor potential side effects during the procedure.
The operation, which lasted approximately two and a half hours, was completed without complications and the patient is currently in stable condition under close monitoring.
The department said the achievement reflects Tawau Hospital’s readiness to provide advanced neurosurgical services locally and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening specialist services and expanding access to quality healthcare for the community.
