The UK’s first ever operation to remove a type of head cancer through a patient’s eye socket has been performed in Leeds .Mother-of-three Ruvimbo Kaviya had a meningioma removed from the space located beneath the brain and behind the eyes using keyhole surgery.Many of these types of tumour would have previously been considered inoperable because of where they are situated and the complexity of the surgery needed.But surgeons from Leeds Teaching Hospitals managed to remove one of these tumours using keyhole surgery through Ms Kaviya’s eye socket – the first surgery of its kind in the UK.The 40-year-old nurse was up and walking the day after the surgery, and was back in work three months later caring for patients needing stroke rehabilitation.“It was very stressful and difficult,” she said.
“When they told me that they’re going to do the surgery – they couldn’t say that it was going to be perfect and there was risk involved.“It was the first time they were doing the procedure.I had no option to agree because the pain was just too much – I didn’t even think about it being the first time, all I needed was for it to be removed.”Ms Kaviya said her family were “sceptical” about the procedure, adding: “I just told them that ‘I just have to do this – it’s either I do it or it keeps growing, and maybe I will die.Who knows?“There’s a first time to everything.
So you never know, this might be the best chance for me to have it.’ And it was.”Ms Kaviya was discharged from hospital just days after the surgery and experienced double vision for a period of time.The only signs of the surgery is a small scar below her eye socket.Doctors practised the surgery multiple times – first using 3D models of Ms Kaviya’s head and then in a cadaver lab.The surgery, known as a endoscopic trans-orbital approach, took just three hours.Mr Jiten Parmar, a maxillofacial surgeon, devised a technique where a little part of the outside wall of the eye socket was cut to allow more access for the endoscope.“It was so well rehearsed, it felt like we’d done it 100 times before – and that’s the way it should be when using a new technique,” he said.“And actually, when we did that, we actually got a brilliant result.”Traditional methods to get to the place where the tumour was situated required complex surgery which involves taking off a large part of the skull and moving the brain to access the tumour – which in itself can lead to serious complications including seizures.Neurosurgeon Mr Asim Sheikh, said: “There’s been a move towards minimally invasive techniques over the last few years or so, with the advancement of technology, tools, 3D innovation, it is now possible to do the procedures with less morbidity, and that means the patients recover quicker and better.”If you press on it too much, or retract it, or try and move it apart, then it can lead to patients having seizures afterwards.“Whereas this way, we’re not even sort of touching the brain.” Medics at Leeds consulted experts in Spain who said that Ms Kaviya would be a good candidate for this new surgery and the operation was performed in February 2024.Surgeons have now performed similar surgeries, giving hope to UK patients whose cancers were previously seen as inoperable.Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know..
