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Musician plays saxophone while having brain surgery in an Italian hospital 

The operation was among the first of its kind in Italy

A 35-year-old male musician had a brain tumor removed last week at Rome’s Paideia International Hospital in a long and complicated surgery that lasted nine hours. Not only was the patient awake and fully conscious during the entire procedure, but he also was able to play his saxophone.

The man was operated on October 11 and discharged from the private hospital just four days later on October 14. The surgery was conducted by neurosurgeon Christian Brogna, one of the world’s leading experts in “awake surgery,” alongside a specialized 10-member international team. Using state-of-the-art technology, the tumor was successfully removed with no negative impacts on the patient. 

Over a meticulous 10-day period of preparation and consultations, the patient, who has not been identified for privacy reasons, met with the medical team several times to discuss which functions were most important to preserve. As the patient was a musician, he informed Brogna, who has performed hundreds of “awake surgeries,” that preserving his musical ability was essential. Playing the saxophone during the operation proved to be useful to Brogna as it allowed him to map the different functions of the brain during the surgery. 

According to Brogna, the patient played the theme song from the 1970 movie “Love Story” and the Italian national anthem at various times during the nine-hour ordeal. The surgery was one of the first of its kind performed in Italy at a private clinic.

Asia London Palomba 

Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy, currently pursuing her master's in journalism at New York University (NYU). In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, and The Christian Science Monitor. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli. 

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