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Hospitals around the world are looking to The Ottawa Hospital to learn about the type of minimally invasive brain surgery performed by Dr. Fahad AlKherayf (left) and Dr. Shaun Kilty.

When Denis Paquette’s hearing started to go, the garbled noise of normal conversation almost drove him mad. A tumour was pressing on his inner ear.

Traditionally, removing tumours at the front or base of the skull is a long invasive surgery that involves removing part of the skull, retracting the brain, and sometimes opening up the patient’s face to access the tumour. The result is a high probability of deafness and infection.

This traditional kind of surgery has a significant complication rate, and takes the patient about six months to recover.

However, Neurosurgeon Dr. Fahad AlKherayf proposed a minimally invasive procedure that was less risky and offered a faster recovery. It involved removing Paquette’s tumour through his nostrils.

On July 20, Paquette underwent a five-hour operation. His surgery team included Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon Dr. Shaun Kilty, who worked alongside Dr. AlKherayf to skillfully remove the tumour from Paquette’s inner ear through his nose. When he awoke, Paquette could hear his wife talking.

“Before, I couldn’t hear the car radio or when people were talking, it was just all noise,” said Paquette. “Dr. Kilty and Dr. AlKherayf did miracles. They saved my hearing.”

He was out of the hospital in two days. Because he had no stitches, there was no visible proof that Paquette had undergone serious brain surgery.

“We have become one of the top places in Canada for this technique,” said Dr. AlKherayf, who has advanced minimally invasive brain surgery techniques in the last three years, and operated on 80 patients.

Hospitals around the world are looking to The Ottawa Hospital to learn about this innovative surgery.

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