A former Chinese musician who lost the ability to play guitar due to a rare health condition regained the ability to play while on the operating table during a life-changing brain surgery, according to the Telegraph. The man, known only be his surname Li, suffered from musician's dystonia, a rare neurological condition that he developed in the 1990s. Unable to use the muscles in his fingers or write music, Li's condition worsened over the years, prompting him to undergo advanced brain surgery at the Shenzen Number Two Hospital.
The operation consisted of the implantation of battery-power electrodes into his brain, which doctors say will last for approximately 10 years. The results were amazing - almost instantly, Li was playing his guitar on the operating table, strumming Für Elise, the Beethoven classic, which warmed the room with a calming atmosphere, according to the Daily Mail.
"This surgery is different to other surgery," said Cai Xiaodong, the director of the neurology department at the hospital. "Patients need to play a song before the operation and then stay awake. After the electrodes have been implanted in the brain, patients then need to assess the result of the operation by playing another tune."
Playing the guitar during the surgery allowed the surgeons to decide on the best place to stimulate his brain using the aforementioned implanted electrodes.
"Li has regained 80 percent of the use of his finger muscles," he said. "The remaining 20 percent will return through rehabilitation."
The case marks the first in China where brain surgery has successfully cured musician's dystonia and the seventh in the world, according to the South China Morning Post.
