Woman Plays Violin During Brain Surgery

Woman Plays Violin During Brain Surgery [the_ad id=”28610″]

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A U.K. woman played her violin during her brain tumor surgery.

Dagmar Turner, 53, is a violinist with the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and a number of choral societies. Before her surgery, doctors at King’s College Hospital in London mapped her brain to pinpoint areas that are active when she plays the violin and those that control language and movement, the Associated Press reported.

Midway through the surgery, Turner was wakened and asked to her play her violin to “ensure the surgeons did not damage any crucial areas of the brain that controlled Dagmar’s delicate hand movements,″ according to the hospital.

“We knew how important the violin is to Dagmar, so it was vital that we preserved function in the delicate areas of her brain that allowed her to play,″ Prof. Keyoumars Ashkan, Turner’s neurosurgeon, said, the AP reported.

“We managed to remove over 90% of the tumor, including all the areas suspicious of aggressive activity, while retaining full function in her left hand,” Ashkan said.

Turner left the hospital three days after her surgery and hopes to make a quick return to her orchestra, the AP reported.