Op saves IVF woman, foetus from rare brain haemorrhage
Times of India | 24 March 2025
123 Kolkata: A 38-year-old Kolkata woman, 16 weeks into her pregnancy through IVF, suffered a cerebral haemorrhage from a bleeding tumour in brain and was on the verge of collapse. She was saved through a high-risk surgery at a city private hospital last month. Experts termed the condition as ‘extremely rare' in young, pregnant women, pointing out that it could have resulted either in her death or a termination of her pregnancy. But both the mother and the foetus were saved, and the woman has now recovered but remains under the supervision at Charnock Hospital, where she underwent the surgery.
The patient arrived at the emergency with a severe headache and drowsiness. A brain scan revealed a significant ‘intracranial haemorrhage', while an ultrasound confirmed the presence of a live foetus.
A multidisciplinary team was formed with Rohit Mishra, consultant neurosurgeon, and Dibyendu Banerjee, consultant obstetrician. Given the patient's deteriorating neurological status, an urgent ‘craniotomy' was deemed necessary to remove the blood clot as a life-saving measure. It involves temporarily removing a portion of the skull to allow surgical access and is replaced after the procedure. It is one of the most complex neurological procedures. "Since she was pregnant, extensive radiological tests were ruled out, and we had to restrict tests to minimise foetal risk. While we could see the bleeding inside brain with a CT scan, we couldn't do further tests to determine the cause. We came across the tumour only after the skull was opened," said Mishra.
The team discovered a ‘large brain tumour' that had bled. Its total removal and the associated blood clot was performed successfully.
The patient showed signs of ‘remarkable recovery'. A repeat brain scan confirmed a complete removal of tumour and haematoma, while subsequent foetal scans also indicated normal development.