Tamil Nadu has inaugurated the country’s first government-sector integrated hybrid neurosurgery theatre at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai combining an operating room, angiography, CT imaging and advanced neuro-navigation within a single sterile suite, enabling complex brain and spine surgeries without moving critically ill patients.
Glimpse:
The new hybrid theatre bundles key neurosurgical infrastructure CT scan, neuro-angiography suite, endoscopy, neuro-navigation, physiological monitoring all in one operating room. This enables surgeons to perform open surgeries, endovascular interventions, and real-time imaging or scans on the operating table eliminating risky mid-procedure transfers. Built at a cost of roughly ₹18 crore with support from the state’s health-rehabilitation project and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the facility marks a major step in making high-end neurosurgical care accessible in the public health sector.
The government of Tamil Nadu has unveiled an advanced hybrid neurosurgery operating theatre at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Chennai the first of its kind in India’s government-run hospitals. Created under a health-infrastructure upgrade programme and funded with state support plus JICA assistance, the theatre integrates full neurosurgical, imaging and interventional capabilities under one roof a paradigm shift from conventional setups.
Traditionally, neurosurgical and neurovascular procedures often required shifting patients between the operation room, imaging suite and cath lab a risky and time-consuming process, especially for critical brain and spine cases. The hybrid theatre eliminates this need by hosting an on-table 3D CT scanner, angiography system, endoscopy, neuro-navigation, and all necessary surgical tools in a single sterile environment.
With this setup, neurosurgeons can perform complex procedures from open brain/spine surgeries, tumour resections, vascular-interventions, to mixed “hybrid” surgeries with higher precision, real-time imaging, and immediate access to endovascular tools if required. This reduces patient risk, minimizes procedure times, and avoids the delays and complications often associated with mid-procedure transfers. started operations: in early use, doctors reportedly carried out multiple neuro-interventions including endovascular procedures and diagnostics demonstrating the theatre’s readiness and potential impact for patients who earlier depended on private tertiary centres for such advanced care. light that this is not just a hospital upgrade but a milestone for public healthcare in India bringing world-class neurosurgical infrastructure into a government institution, making advanced neuro-care more affordable and accessible to a wider population.
“Instead of shifting a vulnerable patient mid-surgery for scans or interventions, we now have everything under one roof enabling safer, faster and more precise brain and spine surgeries right here at Kilpauk.”
By
HB Team
