Indian-American surgeon helps remove brain tumour through patient's nose

An Indian-American army surgeon helped remove a brain tumour through a patient's nose. The minimally invasive operation avoided open brain surgery and protected the patient's vision.An Indian-American army surgeon played a key role in a minimally invasive procedure to remove a golf ball-sized brain tumour through a patient’s nose, helping avoid open brain surgery. Major Jagatkumar Patel worked with neurosurgeon Lt Col Charles Miller to perform the procedure on Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Andy Archer, the US Department of Defence said in a statement on Thursday.Archer had been living with the benign tumour for 15 years. Measuring about 4.4 cm, it was located in front of his pituitary gland and was pressing against his optic nerve. The operation was carried out earlier this month and the team removed more than 99 per cent of the tumour, while leaving a tiny portion that was considered too risky to take out.Patel, an anterior skull base surgeon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre near Washington, developed a plan to navigate Archer’s complex nasal anatomy and create a clear surgical pathway through the nasal passages using an endoscope. The Defence Department said the procedure required highly synchronised collaboration between the two experts. “Today, if a tumour is the appropriate size and location, open surgery just isn’t necessary. Through the nose, we get the best access and the best chance of complete removal,” Patel said in the statement.After Patel established the pathway, he used an endoscopic camera to provide high-definition, close-up visualisation on a surgical monitor. This gave Miller the two-handed freedom needed to dissect and safely extract the tumour. “If he needs to get to critical structures, I can drive the camera closer, so he has perfect visualisation,” Patel said. A microscopic fraction of the tumour remained wrapped tightly behind Archer’s optic nerve, and removing it carried major risks, the statement said. “You must ask, ‘Is it worth giving the patient a stroke or permanently changing their perfect vision just to get that last millimetre?’” Patel said. The surgeons said they were confident that the remaining fragment was highly unlikely to regrow.To complete the surgery, the team reconstructed the skull base using a small tissue graft taken from Archer’s leg to seal the surgical site. According to the Defence Department, Archer showed no visible signs of having undergone major brain surgery just two days after the operation. His vision had already begun improving, and his post-operative symptoms were limited to expected headaches and soreness in the leg from where the graft was taken. In all, the procedure allowed doctors to remove almost the entire tumour through the nose while avoiding open brain surgery. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 31, 2026 13:30 IST