Indian Spiritual Leader Seeks Expertise of UPMC Brain Surgeons
Guru of Jain Religion Regaining Sight After Tumor is Removed Through the Nose
PITTSBURGH, February 23, 2009 — Neurosurgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have successfully removed the brain tumor of one of the world’s spiritual leaders. Acharya Yashovijaysuri, a guru of Jainism―a sect of Hinduism and one of the world’s oldest religions―had lost sight in his left eye and was losing sight in his right eye, due to a golf ball-sized non-malignant tumor that was pressing on his optic nerve.
Less than two weeks post surgery, the progression of Acharya Yashovijaysuri’s blindness has halted and he is recovering sight in both eyes.
UPMC neurosurgeons removed the tumor from Mr. Yashovijaysuri’s brain by way of his nose. This technique, pioneered at UPMC, allows surgeons to reach tumors at the base of the skull, central brain and top of the spinal cord by operating through the nose and nasal sinuses. The procedure leaves virtually no scars and has only minor side effects.
Finding a surgical team to entrust with the guru’s care was challenging. An MRI at a Mumbai, India hospital showed the tumor pressing on Yashovijaysuri’s optic nerve, and in mid-December, surgeons there performed a craniotomy―the traditional surgical approach to reach a skull base tumor―but felt that removal of the tumor was too risky and complex. A group of Yashovijaysuri’s followers researched other options, consulted neurosurgeons from across the globe and concluded that the UPMC team would be the best choice for removing the guru’s tumor.
However, Yashovijaysuri, a strict follower of Jainism and spiritual leader to more than 1 million followers, leads a non-violent life, completely free of material goods. In keeping with these beliefs, he travels only by foot and carefully sweeps the ground before him to avoid injuring insects. The community of followers and the Jain high priest permitted this unprecedented trip for Yashovijaysuri, recognizing the rapid progression of his blindness and the hope for treatment.
Remarkably, at Yashovijaysuri’s follow-up visit to UPMC this week, prior to his return to Gujarat, India, he was able, for the first time in two years, to see light through the eye that was completely blind and noted significantly improved vision in the other eye.
UPMC neurosurgeons and otolaryngolgists began investigating endoscopic transnasal brain surgery in 1998 and have gained international acclaim for their ability to visualize these lesions and custom design instruments to reach and safely remove them. The surgical team has performed more than 1,200 endoscopic endonasal cases to date, making them a world leader in minimally invasive brain surgery.
This endonasal work, combined with a new minimally invasive technique developed at UPMC – the NeuroendoportSM – which is used to reach tumors within the substance of the brain and within its fluid spaces, enables the UPMC team to reach tumors often thought to be very difficult and risky to reach through conventional surgery techniques.
For a high-resolution photograph of Acharya Yashovijaysuri, go to this link.
For more information visit www.brainsurgery.upmc.com.
UPMC is an integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania's largest employer, with 50,000 employees and $7 billion in revenue, UPMC is transforming the economy of the region into one based on medicine, research, and technology. By integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities, and a major health insurance services division, and in collaboration with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care and developed internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopaedics, and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializing its medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategic business relationships with some of the world's leading multinational corporations, and expanding into international markets, including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Qatar. For more information about UPMC, visit our website at www.upmc.com.