Asiri Central’s Brain and Spine Centre reaches milestone: 10,000 surgeries since inception

From left: Asiri Central Hospital Medical Director Ruwan Senatilleke, Asiri Central Hospital Director Operations Nihal Ratnayake, Asiri Health Group CEO Manjula Karunaratne, Asiri Brain and Spine Centre Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr. Sunil Perera, and Asiri Brain and Spine Centre Senior Consultant Anaesthetist Dr. Rohini Ranwala

• Success attributed to team of dedicated experts coupled with state-of-the-art equipment

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

The Brain and Spine Centre at Asiri Central Hospital has achieved an unparalleled feat by completing 10,000 neurosurgeries since its inception. 

The world-class facility, which features cutting-edge equipment and neurosurgical procedures, has consistently demonstrated excellence in surgical performances, which include surgery for epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. It is the only centre in the country to perform these procedures. 

It is also the first to acquire a neuro-navigation and intraoperative monitoring system – advanced technology that facilitates safe surgery enabling effective neurosurgical results. The Centre has treated an average of 1,000 patients a year over the past five years, maintaining a mortality rate of less than 1%, which surpasses standards in developed countries. 

Speaking at a press conference held at the hospital premises recently to mark its achievement of 10,000 neurosurgeries, Asiri Health Group CEO Manjula Karunaratne noted, “The success of this neurosurgery program is due to Dr. Sunil Perera, Dr. Rohini Ranwala, and their team. It is their team that has made a difference. Of course, we have invested in the latest technology, but technology is useless without such professionals; and we are very lucky to have a team like this. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Sunil Perera and his team for what they have done for the Asiri Group.”

Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr. Sunil Perera heads the Brain and Spine Centre, overseeing a vast range of treatment for complex neurological conditions in both adults and children. These include brain and spinal injury management, back and neck pain management, degenerative spine management and correction of scoliosis.

“We also perform ‘awake neurosurgery’ where the patient is kept awake during the brain surgery. A different team maps the areas and the patient talks to us and sings with us during the period,” said Dr. Perera. “We have one of the best neurosurgical systems, on par with American standards. We have everything that is needed for neurosurgery. It is available because we have organised everything accordingly – the equipment, specialties, etc., have all been brought up to that level.”

Dr. Perera’s expertise is complemented at the Centre by a multidisciplinary team comprising neurosurgeons and neuro anaesthetists, to deliver the life-changing procedures. He commended and extended his appreciation also to the ancillary staff, which include nurses, ward nurses, trained technicians, and ICU staff, stressing that the success of the surgeries was a team effort, with many people involved. 

Success stories 

Also present at the event were a few of the patients who were saved through the intervention of the Centre and its neurosurgical team. Once facing death, they were guided by the team, and put on the road to recovery, and are now alive and healthy. Filled with tears, their parents narrated their stories to the audience…

Three-year-old Jevan had a bleak future. He was diagnosed with a ‘large cerebellar tumour’ and his parents were told that chances of survival were slim. Frequently breaking into tears while telling his story, Jevan’s mother said, “My son started getting headaches, and eventually became unsteady on his feet; even his speech was affected. An MRI confirmed he had a brain tumour. We were told that he needed surgery; we were very scared as we heard that it was life-threatening and we lost all hope. Then we were told that Dr. Perera was well-experienced and the best, and we felt reassured.”

The doctor and his team performed a ‘ventricular peritoneal shunt insertion’ and successfully removed the tumour. The mother was overwhelmed as she stood in front of the room and repeatedly expressed her gratitude, relief and happiness to have her son alive and well. “The operation was a success and my son is now cured. I cannot thank Dr. Perera and the hospital enough for giving our son back to us. He is back on his feet and faster than expected, smiling and playful.” As his mother spoke, Jevan sat in the audience, playing games on his phone and cheerfully chatting with his father. 

Another patient present at the event was two-year-old Dharmarathne. She was treated with Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) for ‘Congenital Hydrocephalus’. Her father shared the same feeling of relief and gratitude that any parent would, towards the doctor and the Centre. While he was talking to the audience, we were shown clips of her state of health before surgery, and then the surgery taking place, and finally the much-awaited clips of the happy child in the recovery ward. Something that seemed impossible had been made possible by this team, he expressed.  

Nethmi, a 15-year-old girl, was saved through a neuro-navigation guided excision of her left frontal lobe to treat ‘arteriovenous malformation’, which is an abnormal formation of blood vessels where the arterial blood bypasses capillaries and reaches the veins. Again, a delicate surgery was needed, but it was successfully performed on Nethmi, and saved her life. She sat shy and quiet in the audience as her mother told her story. 

After hearing the success stories of these children, we were introduced to Neuro Theatre Sister Damayanthi, the success story from the Centre itself. She had been suffering from excruciating back pains that made her day-to-day duties very difficult. She was finally relieved of her torment when she went through a ‘pedicle screw fixation surgery’ at the hospital. She is now happily back at work to resume normal duties at the hospital. After sharing the story of her recovery in tears, she thanked everyone responsible for taking her out of her misery. 

The event ended with the distribution of tokens of appreciation to the team, from Group CEO Manjula Karunaratne. 

Pix by Lasantha Kumara