How in the hell does something survive with something like that growing in its head?!

So what's left? A person missing 75% of brain mass in a vegetative state?

*brain

Adding video to channels (Brain) - requested by kronosposeidon.

That is freaking gross, upvote.

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)

"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "

>> ^KnivesOut:

So what's left? A person missing 75% of brain mass in a vegetative state?


I can't speak for this case, but I had a benign tumor the size of a kiwi fruit removed from the left side of my brain 7 years ago, and I'm fine (albeit on anti-seizure meds for probably the rest of my life). How damaging the tumor or cyst is to the brain I think has to do with how quickly it grows,and surely the location; it's probably generally less serious if the tumor/cyst growth occurs on the "outside" of the brain vs inside it.

The brain gets compressed to accommodate the growth, but the brain itself in some/many? cases isn't considered damaged. In my case the compression of the brain finally got to the point where I had a grand-mal seizure -- that was my first clue anything was wrong. After my surgery I basically had a dented brain, but it "bounced back" to its former size over a few months.

My guess is that this person had a similar experience, that they had no clue it was there for quite a while, even though their brain was getting progressively more squashed and they might have been having weird symptoms, like motor or behavioral oddities, or seizures, etc. Depends on the area of the brain that's being stimulated from the compression.

Oh, here's more info on the video from the link provided by Hawkinson above:
_________________

The video below uses saline to gradually "float" the cyst out of the brain. The neurosurgeon gently squirts small volumes of saline into the space around and behind the cyst until it neatly plops into the surgical pan, intact. The patient, a 16 year old girl, fully recovered.

- And, what happens to the hole the cyst left in the brain?

"The empty space initially gets filled up by the fluid which covers thr brain called CSF, then the brain which was compressed by the cyst expands to normal state filling up the space."

>> ^Hawkinson:

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_
cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)
"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "


Damn nature, you scary!

Isn't there are a lot of redundancy built in to the brain anyway? You have cases of people walking around with huge chunks missing and they seem just fine.

I can't remember the name, but there's a condition where one half of the brain dies, and the remove an entire hemisphere, which you can survive. That big hole fills with cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) too, so the brain doesn't bounce around in there.

It seems like you'd be able to feel all that liquid sloshing around in your head.

Awesome convo though, I'll be back with powerpoints to promote this asap.

OMG. [pukes]

I think I'm going to skip eating eggs for the next month.

*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 7:49pm PDT - promote requested by KnivesOut.

...AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!!!

I'm skeptical whether or not the patient would make a full recovery after a cyst of this size. There are definite consequences for this degree of compression, BUT her young age should be able to compensate for the damage done.

Usually with things like this, the younger you are, the more equipped your body is to heal itself. Those surgeons did some great work.

>> ^KnivesOut:

It seems like you'd be able to feel all that liquid sloshing around in your head.
Awesome convo though, I'll be back with powerpoints to promote this asap.


Ugh, I forgot about that. You do feel it, at least I did for a couple weeks after my surgery. Depending on whether I was sitting up or lying down on my side or whatever, I could feel (and hear, because it's happening near enough to the inner ear I suppose ) the fluid sort of moving from one place to the other, even in my neck area because the spinal fluid is all part of the same volume. Luckily the worst of it went away pretty quickly, presumably because the dent in the brain rebounded and built up pressure in the system again.

>> ^gwiz665:

I can't remember the name, but there's a condition where one half of the brain dies, and the remove an entire hemisphere, which you can survive.


I think it's called "marriage"

Ew ew ew ew.

Suddenly I am not hungry anymore...

brains are.....AWESOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME

>> ^grahamslam:

>> ^gwiz665:
I can't remember the name, but there's a condition where one half of the brain dies, and the remove an entire hemisphere, which you can survive.

I think it's called "marriage"


lol nice.

Lunch = ruined.

>> ^Hawkinson:

The cysts[...] eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae.


So you're saying it's filled with baby worms? Super. @.@

Put a plastic hinge on that chunk of skull and you'd have the world's most successful drug mule.

>> ^KnivesOut:

So what's left? A person missing 75% of brain mass in a vegetative state?


You mean your average FOX viewer?

I always thought that similar to how pearls form in oysters it could form in human brain if there was sand in it or something. Turns out I wasn't that far from the truth.

I didn't watch the video, but I literally spat my food out while reading this.>> ^Hawkinson:

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_
cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)
"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "

Bloop!

I don't know where you live, but it sounds like Zombie town.
I recommend you get off the net, get yourself a shotgun and a shovel. Get ready.
>> ^Deano:

Isn't there are a lot of redundancy built in to the brain anyway? You have cases of people walking around with huge chunks missing and they seem just fine.