When Every Millimeter Matters: How Surgeons at NMRRC Save Lives

Fifty-one-year-old Elena from Samara is a creative person. Her work requires confidence, but in recent months, she found it increasingly difficult to look at herself in the mirror. Her face began to twitch involuntarily, and she had no control over it. Every day, the right side of her face would spasm for several minutes. It seemed like a minor issue, but her intuition told her something needed to be done.

Elena consulted a neurologist. The initial standard therapy had no effect. She was then referred for an MRI, which revealed an unexpected diagnosis: a tumor measuring 4 × 2.5 × 1.5 cm in the right cerebellopontine angle, compressing critical brain structures.

“This is a benign tumor, but its danger lies in the fact that it grows slowly over the years and remains unnoticed until it becomes too large,” explains Sergey Kisaryev, a neurosurgeon from the Department of Surgical Treatment of the Central Nervous and Musculoskeletal Systems at the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of the “National Medical Research Radiological Centre” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. “In Elena’s case, the tumor had enveloped the cranial nerves responsible for facial expression, hearing, swallowing, and speech. The slightest mistake during removal could have led to irreversible consequences—loss of facial sensation, speech impairment, or hearing loss.”

Elena researched clinics capable of handling such complex cases and chose the National Medical Research Radiological Centre. The specialists there agreed to help and perform the challenging surgery, which required a team of neurosurgeons and neurophysiologists. The surgical team was led by Anton Zaitsev, head of the neurosurgery department.

“The tumor was literally wrapped around the cranial nerves. Every millimeter mattered,” says Sergey Alexandrovich. “To minimize the risk of damage, we used intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. With the help of special electrodes, we precisely identified the location of each nerve, carefully removing the tumor without unnecessary risks.”

In just three hours, the tumor was completely removed, and the surgeons successfully preserved all vital functions. “Yes, there is temporary paresis of the right side of the face due to prolonged nerve compression by the tumor. However, since the nerve structure remains intact, movement will gradually recover,” summarizes Sergey Alexandrovich.

Elena is now working with rehabilitation specialists and a speech therapist. She will continue therapy at home to restore facial mobility. A follow-up examination is scheduled in six months, but even now, one thing is clear—her life is no longer in danger, and her health will continue to improve day by day.