'Pioneering brain op saved my life'

7:21pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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A man from Rickmansworth has paid tribute to a leading brain surgeon after she helped save his life in a pioneering operation.

Adrian Parker, 55, of Uxbridge Road, Rickmansworth, was diagnosed with a brain tumour by doctors in Tunisia after collapsing on a family holiday in March.

His only hope of survival was to have it removed by surgeons.

Years ago the married father-of-four would have faced a life-threatening operation.

However, in a remarkable operation performed at the end of April, the self-employed wine merchant was able to chat with surgeons as they battled to remove the life-threatening growth from his open skull.

The groundbreaking procedure, called an Awake Craniology, was performed at London's University College Hospital by Iranian-born Gelareh Zadeh, Britain's youngest female brain surgeon.

After being anaesthetised by medical staff a small hole was drilled in Mr Parker's skull.

He was then woken with a special mix of chemicals so surgeons could closely monitor the effects of their actions.

Mr Parker, who owns the Really Fine Wine Company in Eastbury, explained how, in a bid to prevent him falling asleep, the team encouraged him to discuss with them his favourite subject matter - wine.

He said: "Because the tumour was on the left side of my head they needed to monitor the effect of what they were doing on the right side of my body.

"To prevent me from dropping off they kept me talking about wine. It was an incredible experience; the only sensation I felt was the three injections in my arm right at the start. Other than that I could not feel a thing.

"The only pain I felt was when I woke up. It was like a having a bad hangover."

Because of the sudden onset of his illness, Mr Parker remained in hospital after the operation. Other patients, however, have been able to return home on the same day.

He added: "It really is an amazing procedure. As far as I know there are only two people doing this in the country. Ms Zadeh is a remarkable woman. I am not out of the woods yet but, for the time being, she has saved my life."