First surgery for Schizophrenia performed in India

In a first in the country, a 28-year-old man suffering from Schizophrenia from last 13 years of age has become the first to undergo surgery for schizophrenia at a hospital here in India. This was the first surgery performed in India for schizophrenia a debilitating mental illness, while globally this ground-breaking procedure has been performed only 13 times.

The patient from Africa was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 15 and had isolated himself in his room for eight years, severely impacting his quality of life, and his academic growth since he dropped out of school. The patient was referred to psychiatrists and after weighing all the treatment alternatives was considered for DBS surgery. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an evolving surgical technique that involves the implantation of electrodes into specific areas of the brain.

The Neurosurgery team at Marengo Asia Hospitals Gurgaon successfully treated this patient through Nucleus Accumbens – Deep Brain Stimulation surgery led by Dr Himanshu Champaneri. The patient’s symptoms of schizophrenia had progressively worsened over the years, manifesting in complete social withdrawal. He became increasingly resistant to the prescribed medicines when he chose to come to India for an enhanced treatment called neuromodulation.

The patient was operated on 14 June, and the outcome of this DBS procedure has been remarkable. The patient has currently shown promising outcomes with significant symptom reduction and overall improvement in his condition. The entire procedure took 8-10 hours to complete and the patient able to walk and also felt 50-60% improvement in his symptoms and reduction in his hallucinations.

Talking about Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery, Dr Champaneri said, “DBS is an evolving surgical technique that involves the implantation of electrodes into specific areas of the brain. These electrodes deliver electrical impulses to regulate abnormal brain activity and restore balance. On day 2 postoperatively, he was able to walk and also felt 50-60% improvement in his symptoms. On day 10, he feels 80% reduction in his hallucinations, delusions and anxiety.

He added that that by targeting specific regions of the brain, DBS can potentially alleviate symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life when traditional medications and therapies prove insufficient. The target chosen in schizophrenia is called Nucleus Accumbens, which is responsible for the patient’s symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.

WHO studies estimated that the burden of mental health problems in India is 2443 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100 000 population; the age-adjusted suicide rate per 100 000 population is 21.1. It is estimated that 6-7 % of the population suffers from mental disorders. The lifetime incidence of schizophrenia is 1.4% in the Indian population.