The first awake brain surgery (awake craniotomy) was performed in Razi specialized and super specialized hospital in Birjand by Dr. Kazem Qaemi, a neurosurgeon. He described the patient's condition to the reporters before performing this important and advanced surgery. He said: "the patient is a young man at the age of 19, who had a congenital brain tumor in a sensitive location of his brain". Dr. Kazemi added: "this cerebral lesion is located in Broca's area and the motor cortex. So, preforming the surgical procedure with complete anesthesia was impossible. Considering the conditions, the decision was to perform an awake brain surgery under local anesthesia".

He continued: "in an awake brain surgery, controlling patient's speech and movement was possible and doctors asked the patient to talk and move his body during the surgery. The aim was to stop the surgical procedure, in the case of losing normal brain function considering these two parts". He is hopeful to perform this type of surgery for patients with heart problems and those who are not resistant to the effects of anesthesia. He added: "this young man is Hafiz (memorizer) of the Qur'an and by Allah's help, we hoped to perform a successful surgery".

The neurosurgeon believed that a professional team of anesthesiologists is needed for this surgical procedure and then he added: "fortunately, the surgery room in Razi Hospital is one of the most equipped and advanced rooms, thanks to Dr. Hashemi supports, the former minister of health, and also cooperation and efforts done by Dr. Musavi, the university president.

Dr. Qaemi mentioned to similar surgeries which were performed in other provinces such as Tehran, Esfahan, and Razavi Khorasan (Mashhad) and then he said: "this is the first time that awake brain surgery is performed in South Khorasan".
He believed that the surgery was successful because of team work and the efforts of surgery room staffs in Razi Hospital, then he added: "if the surgery was performed in a non-governmental center, it would cost 15 million Tomans for the patient, but since it was performed in a governmental center, it was not much expensive". He added: "after three or four days, the patient will be discharged in the case of having no postoperative complications. Considering this type of surgery, there will be no complications for the patient".

Dr. Qaemi remarked that patients refer to South Khorasan Province form other provinces and also from Afghanistan; then he added: "we hope that our province become a neurosurgical center in east of the country and to achieve this goal, some actions are done ".
He mentioned that a neurosurgical physician assistant has been working in Razi Hospital for the last year, and practical teaching has increased during this period; the he added: "becoming a medical tourism destination is a promising goal; so, there are some actions developed by the university officials, we hope to be successful.