KZN doctors perform world-class treatment Nokuthula Khanyile Mon, 03/16/2026 - 11:35 SHELLY BEACH - A KwaZulu-Natal team of doctors has achieved a groundbreaking medical milestone, removing a brain tumour without a single external incision. A first in the region, the complex operation known as Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Pituitary Tumour Resection, was performed by a team of surgeons at Shelly Beach Hospital. Yandisa Nxakama, a neurosurgeon at the hospital, said the achievement signalled a new era of world class healthcare for the region. The doctors used a camera system inserted through the nose into the base of the brain where the tumour was located. ALSO READ | What is a Brazilian Butt Lift? The procedure everyone is talking about “The tumour that we operated grows from a gland in the brain called the pituitary gland,” Nxakama explained. If left untreated, Nxakama said the tumour’s continued growth can interfere with the normal body functions and less hormones in the pituitary gland are produced because of the compression. While the procedure is not new, he said it was an important milestone for the development of the advanced healthcare services in our institution. "It demonstrates that the hospital is well equipped with modern surgical
