Woman plays violin during brain surgery

A patient in a London hospital played the violin during an operation on her brain. She did so that the doctors were sure that no damage was done to the parts of the brain that control precise movements.

At Dagmar Turner, 53, a brain tumor was discovered seven years ago after a concert stroke. The tumor was near the part of the brain that controls her left hand, and the woman was afraid she would not be able to play the violin after surgery.

Patients are often woken up during brain surgeries to test brain functions. Usually this is done with a language test, but playing the violin sometimes happens more often. It was the first time for King’s College hospital, where 400 such brain operations are performed every year.

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