Japanese woman in her 50s left incapacitated, unable to breathe after surgeon mistakenly removes healthy brain tissue instead of benign tumour

A 50-year-old Japanese woman was recently left unable to breathe after a surgeon made a grave mistake during a brain surgery in July 2026 at Kyoto University Hospital. According to reports from Japanese media, the error occurred when the surgeon removed healthy brain tissue instead of a benign tumor, which was the intended target.

The woman had been experiencing dizziness and unsteadiness prior to the surgery, but was otherwise able to carry on with her daily life. To prevent these symptoms from worsening, she opted to undergo a craniotomy, a procedure that lasted approximately 10 hours. During the surgery, three doctors were present, with the lead surgeon being a highly experienced neurosurgeon with over 20 years of experience and having performed around a hundred similar surgeries.

Despite performing tests twice to confirm the removed tissue was indeed a tumor, the surgeon proceeded with the surgery. Following the surgery, the woman did not regain consciousness or resume breathing on her own. Subsequent MRI scans revealed that the tumor had remained, while the woman had sustained damage to the area responsible for controlling her breathing.

She is currently able to respond to basic questions by opening and closing her eyes, but is unable to breathe independently. Treatment is ongoing to assess her potential for recovery. The hospital's neurosurgery department acknowledged that there was likely a mistake in judgment. The hospital director, Akifumi Takaori, apologized and stated that the woman would receive the best possible treatment, while also investigating the incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future.