Panchkula, Oct 21: What her family initially thought was a gradual change in personality and behaviour turned out to be a giant brain tumour, after a 54-year-old woman from Manimajra, Chandigarh, was brought to Paras Health Panchkula following a sudden loss of consciousness. For months, she had been experiencing forgetfulness, memory impairment and episodes of irrelevant talk, along with worsening vision in her left eye.
Her family had noticed these changes over eight to nine months, while the vision impairment had persisted for six to seven months. She had even undergone cataract surgery for the vision problem, but her eyesight did not improve. With the symptoms developing gradually and no prior psychiatric consultation, the underlying neurological cause remained undetected until her sudden deterioration led to further investigation.
At the hospital, a contrast-enhanced MRI scan revealed a large 6.5-cm meningioma in the front part of the brain. The tumour had grown considerably and was exerting pressure on critical surrounding structures, including the optic nerves responsible for vision and nearby blood vessels.
Given the tumour’s size and location, the neurosurgical team proceeded with surgery to remove it and relieve the pressure on the surrounding brain structures. The procedure required careful planning because of the tumour’s proximity to the optic nerves and important blood vessels.
During surgery, the team carefully separated the tumour from the surrounding structures. The optic nerves were identified, freed from the pressure caused by the tumour and protected throughout the procedure. The tumour was successfully removed.
The patient regained consciousness two days after surgery. On follow-up, she showed significant improvement in her behaviour, memory and overall neurological symptoms. Her recovery was encouraging, given the considerable size of the tumour and the period for which it had remained undetected.
Dr. Rajeev Goel, Director, Neurosurgery, Paras Health Panchkula, said,
“Brain tumours can sometimes develop without the symptoms people commonly associate with them, such as severe headaches, seizures or weakness. When a tumour grows slowly, the first signs may be subtle changes in behaviour, personality, memory or vision, which can easily be attributed to stress, ageing or a psychiatric issue. Any new change that persists or progressively worsens deserves medical attention. In this case, the tumour had reached a considerable size by the time the patient experienced a serious deterioration. Recognising the earlier changes could potentially have led to an earlier diagnosis.”
Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Facility Director, Paras Health Panchkula, said,
“Cases such as this demonstrate the importance of careful assessment when neurological symptoms develop gradually. A change in behaviour or vision may appear insignificant initially, but when it persists or progresses, it should not be ignored. At Paras Health Panchkula, our multidisciplinary approach enables patients with complex conditions to receive timely diagnosis, specialist assessment and appropriate surgical care. The successful outcome in this case reflects the importance of careful planning and coordinated clinical management.”
Meningiomas are tumours that arise from the protective covering surrounding the brain. Depending on their location and size, they can affect nearby areas and cause changes in behaviour, personality, memory, judgement or vision. Tumours located in the front part of the brain may produce these symptoms gradually, sometimes before more noticeable neurological problems develop.
The successful removal of the tumour and the patient’s subsequent improvement reflect the importance of specialised neurosurgical care in managing complex cases involving critical brain structures. At Paras Health Panchkula, the patient received comprehensive evaluation and surgical management for the condition.
