Chen Ang's adjusted surgical posture could be said to be one of the best. Strange only realized that he did not notice when Chen Ang adjusted the patient's surgical posture, but the surgical field of view of the patient's brachial plexus could be clearly seen through the retractor's surgical field of view.
The ivory-white nerves were as thin as silver threads and as thick as tendons. They were surrounded by a membrane-like sheath.
The black fungus was linear and had already grown into the membrane-like sheath. The black fungus was entangled with the nerves. It was parasitic on the nerves, and the spreading black veins on the ivory-white nerves were exceptionally conspicuous. It was even slowly wriggling, which made Strange's scalp tingle.
The brachial plexus was composed of the anterior branches of the fifth to eighth cervical nerves and most of the anterior branches of the first thoracic nerve. It penetrated through the space between the scalenus muscles, ran behind the subclavian artery, and entered the armpit through the back of the clavicle.
The fibers from the five roots of the brachial plexus were first synthesized into the upper, middle, and lower trunks. The branches of the three trunks surrounded the axillary artery to form the medial, lateral, and posterior bundles. The branches of the posterior bundles were mainly distributed to the upper limbs and some superficial thoracic and dorsal muscles. However, the fungus that infected the wound had taken root in the medial, lateral, and posterior bundles. On one side, it spread from the three trunks to the brain, and on the other side, it spread to the thoracic and dorsal nerves, long thoracic nerves, axillary nerves, musculocutaneous nerves, median nerves, radial nerves, and ulnar nerves.
The main nerve roots had been infected. The thinnest part of the fungal infection had already spread to the nerve branches of the upper thoracic, dorsal, and deep cervical muscles.
If the fungus infected the nerve endings, the consequences would be unimaginable. The patient's entire upper limbs would be controlled by the parasite.
However, there was no time to care about the upper limbs' nerves. The most complicated part of the brain was the cistern region, which was located at the bottom of the brain. It was a complex area where the cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum intersected. The neural activity here was complex and precise. It was the most important and fatal area of the human body.
It could be said that although surgery on the cerebral cortex and lobes was important, even if the surgery failed or some brain tissue was accidentally removed, it would not matter much. The patient would not die immediately. At most, he would have some sequelae such as daze, low intelligence, and slow reaction time. In the worst case scenario, he would become a vegetable (vegetable). It would also give the attending physician a long time to clear his name.
There was enough time and reason for the doctor to use all kinds of excuses to shirk responsibility.
Therefore, this part of the brain had been used for various important medical breakthroughs, such as the infamous lobotomy surgery of the last century. Didn't mental patients who had most of their frontal lobes removed still live very healthy lives? Moreover, it was quiet and docile like a small animal, so much so that this surgery was hailed as the dawn of curing mental illness.
This sensational result lasted until people discovered that the reason why the mental patients no longer acted up was because they had lost the ability to act up. It was because they had become semi-vegetative. The most essential ability that distinguishes humans from other animals — thinking — had been stripped away! When the mechanism of the treatment was discovered, the surgery was declared illegal.
However, the cisterna was different from the lobes of the brain, which were areas that could be used to produce results in the last century. Before the invention of neurosurgery microscopy, the cisterna was known as a forbidden area. The mortality rate of surgeries performed there was basically equivalent to terminal illness.
It was also because neurosurgery microscopy broke through the forbidden area of the cisterna that it was qualified to be called the crown of surgery.
As a former neurosurgeon who was proud of his profession and had dedicated his life to it, Strange knew that his hands were crippled by a car accident and he had no choice but to switch to a magic profession. Of course, he knew how tricky this position was. Judging from the danger of the fungus parasitizing the nerves, once it spread to the cisterna, with the concentration of nerves there, it was basically impossible to save it.
He had to remind Chen Ang, "We have to stop it from spreading to the cisterna. Once it reaches the cerebellomedullary cisterna and the anterior cisterna, it can infect the brainstem and cerebral plexus, and spread down to the spine. If the infection reaches that level, it's basically hopeless! "
Chen Ang, however, calmly observed the fungal silk and said, "It's fine!"
Strange said anxiously, "We have to hurry … You still have the mood to say 'it's fine' now?"
Chen Ang replied unhurriedly, "It's really fine … The fungus has not developed a nerve plexus. It is still a simple nervous structure. It can be seen that it has parasitized the human nerves, allowing it to imitate the human nervous structure, but it has not continued to develop … It's really something to be thankful for. This time it's fine! "
Strange watched the fungus continue to spread on the nerves, feeling very anxious. But out of confidence in his profession, he had to voice his doubts. "I think the situation is very bad … Once the fungus infects the brain, we can declare the patient dead!"
"Young man, stay calm. The situation is not as bad as you think! "Chen Ang said unhurriedly and calmly.
Strange was so anxious that he jumped. "Isn't this the worst? We are sitting back and watching the worst develop. What could be worse than this? "
"In my career as a surgeon, this is the easiest!" Chen Ang sighed. "There are many more unlucky than this. For example, finding the nerve plexus on the infected fungus proves that the fungus is not only capable of simple nervous reactions, but can 'think' and carry out complex neural activities … That would be a more difficult situation."
"It will react to your actions in a more complicated way."
Strange understood Chen Ang's words, and it was precisely because he understood that he felt fear. Once the fungus could carry out complex neural activities, it would be 'smarter' than a parasite in the brain in the best case scenario. And they did not understand this fungal parasite at all, did not know how it would react to external stimuli, and did not know how the relevant drugs would stimulate it.
Strange could not help but break out in a cold sweat. "This is really a worse situation!"
"That's nothing!" Chen Ang sneered. "Don't forget, these fungus came from a highly intelligent alien race. Before the operation, I had already prepared for it to develop a complex nervous system. The better ones would have the intelligence of a dog, and the worse ones would have the intelligence of a six-year-old dolphin. Think about it, if the fungus parasitizing the nerves had the thinking ability of a six-year-old …"
Strange shuddered. That would be an impossible operation. Surgery was an extremely delicate and precise work, and doctors hated variables the most. A six-year-old parasitizing the patient's nerves was no longer a variable — it was a disaster.
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