GYEONGGI-DO

A Kazakh Mother with Brain Aneurysm Overcomes COVID-19 and Leaves with Her Newborn Baby

- New mother leaves the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital in a healthy state after receiving COVID-19 treatment, giving birth, and undergoing brain aneurysm surgery

▲The mother came to visit the International Medical Center of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital, to thank Dr. Kim Ju-mi, the head of the International Medical Center (right) who has been taking care of her health even before she came to Korea.

Female patient A from Kazakhstan (aged 41) visited the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital for the first time in January 2021 for thyroid nodule surgery. During recovery from her surgery, performed by Professor Sung Gi-Young of the Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery Department, she experienced frequent headaches. After undergoing a brain MRI, it was found she had a brain aneurysm, which meant she needed additional thorough medical examination and surgery. However, as she did not wish to immediately receive surgery, she returned to Kazakhstan. A few months later, she became pregnant, but in Kazakhstan, she was recommended to have an abortion because of her brain aneurysm. This is why she returned to the International Medical Center of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital (Head Kim Ju-mi) to give birth to her baby.

As the mother was relatively older and had a brain aneurysm, the International Medical Center of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital first organized a meeting in advance with the Neurosurgery and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Departments. It was decided to deliver the baby safely by a caesarean section after 37 weeks, followed by the brain aneurysm surgery. Patient A came to Korea on October 27, 2021, 33 weeks into her pregnancy. However, after arriving in Korea, she was tested positive for COVID-19 from a PCR test. Although she had to be sent to a different medical institution, she was fortunately able to be hospitalized at the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital as there was room at the hospital’s COVID treatment wards.

Patient A’s brain aneurysm could rupture at any moment, but she also had to treat the COVID-19 virus that she had contracted. This would have been a difficult situation even for a Korean mother living domestically. However, as the Kazakh woman needed interpretation, the International Medical Center and COVID treatment ward took care of her day and night. To deliver a baby free from COVID-19, the Obstetrics and Gynecology, Infectious Diseases, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, and Pediatrics Departments had all taken part in the multidisciplinary treatment. Finally, on November 16, 2021, Professor Kim Min Jeong from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department delivered a healthy baby weighing 3.25kg to the mother. Although two PCR tests were administered to the baby as soon as he was born, he tested negative both times, and grew to be a healthy baby.

▲Mother meeting her baby after recovering from her brain aneurysm surgery

What was left was Patient A’s brain aneurysm surgery. She would undergo brain aneurysm surgery after recovering from childbirth, so a cerebral angiography was performed beforehand. However, unlike the past MRI results, another small brain aneurysm was found. Moreover, the newly found small brain aneurysm had small veins that go through the aneurysm. This means, in the case of a coil embolization, blood may not flow through small blood veins, resulting in cerebral infarction. Therefore, Professor Kim Seong Rim decided to perform a surgery where the blood flow would be focused in the main vein to make the aneurysm heal on its own. On January 5, 2022, coil embolization was performed on the larger brain aneurysm between the two. During the operation, flow diversion with stents was performed on the smaller brain aneurysm to save even the small veins that start from the aneurysm. The surgery was successfully performed, and Patient A and her baby were able to return home.

The International Medical Center of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital has been a leader in hosting foreign patients with severe medical cases even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center provides excellent virus-containing measures, excellent medical technology, preliminary medical treatment counseling before the patient’s visit to Korea, and remote medical services after surgery.

[HOMEPAGE] https://www.cmcbucheon.or.kr/en.common.main.main.sp