“A New Era”: KZN Doctors Perform Incisionless Brain Surgery for the First Time on the South Coast

• A team of doctors at Shelly Beach Hospital on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast successfully removed a brain tumour through a patient's nose
• The procedure is a first for the South Coast region and brings specialist care closer to home
• South Africans flooded the comments with pride and gratitude, with some sharing their own personal experiences at the hospital

A remarkable surgery happened at Shelly Beach Hospital on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on 7 March 2026, and the medical community has been buzzing about it. A team of doctors successfully removed a brain tumour from a patient without making a single external cut. This marked the first time this type of procedure has been performed in the South Coast region. The hospital shared the news on their Facebook page, calling it a new era of world-class healthcare accessible right at home.

The procedure is called an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary tumour resection. This is the long way of saying the surgical team reached the brain tumour through the patient's nose. Dr Sigonya, the ENT surgeon, went in first and opened a working channel through the nasal passage into the sinus behind the nose. Dr Nxakama, the neurosurgeon, then took over and carefully removed the tumour piece by piece using specialised instruments. Throughout the operation, anaesthesiologist Dr Malleck kept the patient stable under the kind of precise sedation that such a delicate procedure demands. A computer-guided navigation system and a high-definition endoscopic camera helped the team work with millimetre accuracy inside one of the most complex areas of the human body. To finish, the team used a small piece of fat from the patient's thigh to seal the base of the brain, secured with tissue glue to prevent any fluid leakage.

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Traditionally, removing a tumour required opening the skull. This meant longer recovery times and greater physical trauma. This new approach removes the tumour with no visible scarring, less physical trauma and a much shorter recovery period.

View the Facebook post here.

Netizens celebrate incisionless brain surgery

People were moved and proud of the doctors, sharing their praise in the comments section on the Hospital's Facebook page @Shelly Beach Hospital:

@Sandile Thembabezizwe A Cele wrote:

"Well done, Shelly Beach Hospital. I am alive today because of your dedicated staff and groundbreaking technology."

@Leonie Botha said:

"Wow, the South Coast's own Grey's Anatomy is kind of a success. Congratulations, doctors."

@Connie De Melo Baiao shared:

"Definitely not the first time in South Africa. I had my tumour removed this way in 2008 by Dr Frank Snyckers at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. That's 18 years ago."

@Gerrie Meyer added:

"My tumour was removed this way 28 years ago by Dr Jacques du Plessis at Eugene Marais Hospital in Pretoria."

@Reishina Naidoo said:

"A win for medical tourism. The South Coast is definitely the new hotspot in South Africa."

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@Marlene Stocker wrote:

"Shelly Beach Hospital and staff are absolutely superior."

@Phindi Mtshali added:

"Halala, iShelly Beach Hospital 24 Hours eyethu. Well done, team Shelly Hospital. God bless every equipment, wall, staff, medication and patient."

More medical stories

• Briefly News recently reported on identical twin brothers who graduated from medical school together and landed jobs at the same hospital.
• A Cape Town medical team used extreme cold temperatures to destroy recurring thyroid cancer cells for the first time in South Africa.
• An EMS practitioner shared a follow-up on the Pretoria black mamba bite victim, and the image he received of the patient had South Africans breathing a sigh of relief.

Source: Briefly News