Patient plays violin as surgeons remove brain tumor

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By Donna Baeck

A 53-year-old violinist played her instrument as surgeons at Kings College Hospital in London removed a brain tumor on Wednesday, according to Time.

Time reported surgeons woke up Dagmar Turner during the procedure and asked her to play the violin in order to avoid damaging areas of the brain that would affect her musical abilities when the tumor was removed.

The tumor in her right frontal lobe was extremely close to areas of the brain that were responsible in the function of finer hand movements in her left hand, according to CNN. 

A team of medical professionals spent two hours mapping areas of Turner's brain to locate which areas were active when she played the violin.

Doctors successfully removed 90% of the tumor and were able to preserve full function in her left hand, according to Time.

"We knew how important the violin is to Dagmar, so it was vital that we preserved function in the delicate areas of her brain that allowed her to play," said Prof. Keyoumars Ashkan, her neurosurgeon.

Turner was able to return to her husband and son three days after the operation. She is a member of the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and hopes to perform with them soon.

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