A teenager listened to music from his iPod while having a brain tumour removed in a six-hour operation.
Gavin Brooke, 18, had to keep awake during the operation so surgeons knew they were not damaging his brain. Head neurosurgeon Andrew McEvoy played Mr Brooke's iPod through the operating theatre's sound system and talked to him all the way through the operation.He explained: "Gavin's tumour was in a very difficult place and we had to ensure we didn't damage important parts of his brain. One step too far when removing it - even just a few millimetres - could have paralysed him."
He said: "We needed to make sure that we were not in the wrong place or he was in pain, so we kept him awake. He was given an anaesthetic that numbs the pain and makes you drowsy but able to communicate. "The music from the iPod kept him alert but also made him relax and gave him something else to think about." He told The Sun: "This approach to the operation has paid off and Gavin is now up on his feet and doing amazingly well."
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