Awake brain surgery in Gaza done without MRI or nerve mapping
Original title: Awake Craniotomy for Eloquent and Near-Eloquent Brain Tumors Without MRI or Intraoperative Neuromonitoring During the Gaza War: A Six-Patient Case Series.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a small report on six people, not a tested new treatment.
The short version
Six people in Gaza had awake brain tumor surgery without the usual scanning and mapping tools.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at six awake brain tumor surgeries at two hospitals in Gaza. The war left them with no MRI and no electrical mapping, so they planned with CT scans. The surgeon checked movement or speech by talking with the awake patient.
What they found. Of 125 tumor surgeries at these hospitals, six were done awake. All six were finished without putting the patient to sleep. The surgeon judged five tumor removals complete and left one partly in place on purpose. One patient could not move the right side of the body after surgery. That patient got only a little better after about one week and died three months after surgery. The other five patients were followed for 1-18 months.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: In a war zone, surgeons may still be able to do these operations with very little equipment. Talking with an awake patient gave the surgeon some feedback during surgery. The surgeries took about two to three hours.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean surgery without MRI or mapping is as safe as surgery with them. This was a small look back at six people, not a trial. The authors say it does not prove safety or complete tumor removal. It is not a new treatment and it is not a cure. Hospitals still use MRI and mapping tools when they have them.
Source: PubMed, November 5, 2026 · Read the original
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