Brain Surgery Through Eye Socket

A new procedure has been developed for patients needing brain surgery.

Surgeons at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh, Pa.. are using a new procedure to fix life-threatening brain aneurysms. Instead of making a major incision in the forehead, they are taking a much less invasive approach by making an incision in the eyelid crease. [...]

The procedure involves two steps. In the first part, the incision is made and a small piece of bone from the patient's upper eye socket is removed. The second part is a delicate process where the aneurysm is clipped and isolated from the cerebral circulation. It takes about four hours to complete the entire procedure.

The eyelid technique offers many advantages over the traditional methods. According to Khaled Aziz, M.D., director of AGH's Center for Complex Intracranial Surgery, it reduces surgical morbidity and allows for a faster recovery.

Nifty, I think.