Medical Breakthrough in Israel: Brain Surgery Through the Eye Socket

[:en] Israeli doctors have achieved a national first in neurosurgery. A multidisciplinary team at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center (Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center) successfully removed a rare skull base tumor through the patient’s eye socket - all without opening the skull [1] . The complex procedure, performed on July 21, was accomplished via a tiny incision in the upper eyelid using advanced endoscopic techniques, avoiding any need to retract the brain. Remarkably, the young patient made a quick recovery and suffered minimal disruption to her vision or appearance [1] , highlighting the patient-friendly nature of this approach. Surgeons at Ichilov Medical Center performing the minimally invasive brain surgery through the patient’s eye socket. This “keyhole” approach via the eye socket avoids a large craniotomy, leaving only a small incision near the eyelid. The groundbreaking operation was made possible by close teamwork among neurosurgeons, oculoplastic (eye plastic surgery) specialists, and ear-nose-throat (ENT) surgeons [1] . Such collaboration was crucial given the tumor’s delicate location at the skull base, an area crowded with critical structures like the brainstem and optic nerves. “We reach the same area of the brain without opening the skull, via an incision even smaller than those used in cosmetic eyelid surgeries,” explained Prof. Yigal Leibovitz, head of the Ophthalmology Division at Ichilov <a href="https://www.ynet.co.il/health/article/rj1j5tkfgx#:~:text=%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A4%27%20%D7%99%D7%92%D7%90%D7%9C%20%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A5%27%2C%20%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%94%D7%9C%20%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%9A,%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%A2%20%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9D%20%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%9E%D7%98%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D%20%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%AA%20%D7%A2%D7%A4%D7%A2%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D">[2] [2] . The team spent over a year preparing for this surgery – even traveling to leading skull-base centers in Italy and Spain for specialized training [2] – to ensure they could safely introduce the technique in Israel. Every step of the operation was meticulously planned using 3D imaging and neuronavigation to map the tumor’s position, allowing surgeons to access and remove it piece by piece through a “cosmetically subtle, brain-sparing corridor” via the eye socket - a strategy that meant faster recovery and fewer complications for the patient. Officials hailed the success as a major milestone for Israeli medicine. The State of Israel’s official social media account announced the news as a “medical breakthrough” and “a milestone in patient-centered neurosurgery” [1] . The specific tumor removed was identified as a spheno-orbital meningioma, a benign but uniquely positioned growth that had caused the patient’s eye to protrude and threatened her vision [2] . Traditionally, such tumors would require opening the skull and extensive surgery, often leaving a large scar from the scalp and a lengthy recovery [2] . In contrast, the new eye-socket approach left the patient with only a small incision hidden in the eyelid crease and spared her any significant cosmetic or neurological deficit. “Many patients are terrified when told they need brain surgery with the skull opened,” Prof. Leibovitz noted, “so it’s important for us to publicize this method – in certain cases it offers a safe alternative, with a much easier recovery and minimal scarring.” [2] His sentiment underscores the procedure’s patient-centered advantage: it reduces the fear and physical toll associated with brain surgery by using an innovative route that hardly looks like brain surgery at all. This achievement also places Israel at the forefront of a global trend toward less invasive neurosurgical techniques. Similar “keyhole” surgeries through the orbit (eye socket) have only recently been attempted elsewhere. In May, a University of Maryland Medical Center team in the U.S. removed a spinal tumor through a patient’s eye socket, and earlier in the year surgeons in Leeds, UK performed Britain’s first eye-socket brain tumor removal using a 3D-modeled plan [1] . Now Israel’s clinicians have joined this cutting-edge club, adapting the method for the first time in the country. “This field is new not just for us, but everywhere,” observed Dr. Lior Gonen, the neurosurgeon who leads Ichilov’s skull base surgery unit. He predicts that as experience grows, more carefully-selected patients will benefit: “Our impression is that recovery is faster and safety is higher. It stands to reason we’ll see more cases suitable for this approach in coming years,” he said in a Hebrew press interview, noting that all anatomical logic supports using a front entry like the eye socket for these tumors [2] . Overall, the eye-socket surgery marks a significant advance for Israeli healthcare innovation – the kind of advance Israel Valley Santé was created to spotlight. It exemplifies how Israel’s medical centers are combining world-class clinical skill with high-tech tools to improve patient outcomes. In this case, what once would have been an arduous operation has been transformed into a minimally invasive procedure, reflecting Israel’s broader ethos of medical innovation and collaboration. For Israel Valley Santé’s mission of promoting Israeli healthcare breakthroughs internationally, such success stories are golden opportunities to showcase Israel’s contributions to global medicine. This milestone at Ichilov not only gave one young patient her health back with barely a scratch, but also demonstrated to the world how Israeli ingenuity is opening new horizons in neurosurgery - all while keeping the patient’s well-being front and center. Sources: [1] Israel's Ichilov Medical Center via NDTV - " Israel Performs Its First-Ever-Eye-Socket Brain Surgery, Removes Rare Tumor" (Sept. 1, 2025) 👉 Read here [2] Ynet - "A rare procedure in Israel: brain tumor removal surgery through the eye socket" (Jun. 30, 2025) 👉 Read here [:]

Medical Breakthrough in Israel: Brain Surgery Through the Eye Socket

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