A musician played the violin while surgeons removed a tumour from her brain - watch the incredible video

The video below captures the incredible moment a musician played the violin while surgeons removed a tumour from her brain.

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Dagmar Turner, 53, was diagnosed with a large, slow growing tumour in 2013, after she suffered a seizure during a symphony. Turner had a biopsy and radiotherapy, but it was still growing and becoming more aggressive, so she underwent surgery.

The talented violinist played the violin while surgeons at King’s College Hospital in London removed a tumour from her brain. Neurosurgeon Prof Keyoumars Ashkan opened her skull before the patient was brought round from the anaesthetic.

Dagmar played violin while her tumour was removed, while being closely monitored by the anaesthetists and a therapist.vIt meant the parts of her brain responsible for delicate hand movement and coordination - crucial when playing violin – were not inadvertently damaged during the millimetre-precise procedure.

Dagmar, a former management consultant from the Isle of Wight, said, "The violin is my passion - I’ve been playing since I was 10 years old.

"The thought of losing my ability to play was heart-breaking but, being a musician himself, Prof Ashkan understood my concerns.

"He and the team at King’s went out of their way to plan the operation – from mapping my brain to planning the position I needed to be in to play. Thanks to them I’m hoping to be back with my orchestra very soon."

Why play violin during an operation?

Dagmar was diagnosed with a large grade 2 glioma in 2013. The musician, who plays in Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and various choral societies, had treatment to keep it at bay.

But it kept growing, so she started seriously considering surgery last year.

Dagmar’s tumour was located in the right frontal lobe of her brain, close to an area that controls the fine movement of her left hand - essential for playing the violin.