Brain tumour patient home just hours after surgery

The first patient to be discharged from a Hull hospital the same day as undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour and part of his skull says he was "really glad to get home."

Dean Richardson, 61, had a benign, non-cancerous tumour removed during an operation at Hull Royal Infirmary in August.

He was fitted with a bespoke plate to cover the missing part of his skull and was sent home 12 hours after he had been taken to theatre.

He said: "No-one wants to be lying in a hospital bed wearing ear plugs to drown out other people's snoring, so it was great to be home in familiar surroundings and I'm now recovering well."

Dean's surgery was completed by consultant neurosurgeon Adam Razak, who decided to discharge him after reviewing scans and consulting with staff.

Razak said: "The neurosurgical trend 10 to 15 years ago after such major surgery was to keep patients in hospital for up to five to seven days post-operatively.

"I try to get all of my patients out of hospital the day after surgery, providing it's in their best interests and is safe to do so.

"However, this patient was very fit for a man of his age and surgery went so well and without complications that there was no need to keep him in hospital for another night."

Tests had revealed in July 2024 that Dean had two tumours on different sides of his brain. He had an operation to remove the larger one 16 days later.

Last year he had a stroke and underwent heart surgery, after tests revealed an undetected hole in his heart from birth.

He then had the operation to remove the second tumour on 13 October, after scans showed it was growing into his skull.

Dean said: "I was back playing squash within two months of brain surgery last time and I'm hoping it will be the same again this time."

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices