Musician Plays Guitar During Brain Surgery to Preserve Dexterity

Florida musician Christian Nolen successfully underwent an 'awake craniotomy', playing guitar during the procedure to aid surgeons in preserving his manual dexterity.

• Florida musician Christian Nolen underwent a successful 'awake craniotomy' to remove a glioma tumor from his brain, playing guitar during the procedure to help surgeons monitor his dexterity.
• The surgery was performed at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, led by Dr. Ricardo Komotar.
• Nolen was initially put to sleep for the procedure, but was awakened during key parts to play his guitar, performing songs from bands like System of a Down and Deftones.
• Despite a momentary lapse in hand function during the surgery, the medical team was able to remove the entire tumor without causing permanent damage.
• Nolen has since resumed most of his normal activities, including playing guitar, and is awaiting final pathology results on the tumor.

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