It’s been suggested that a cosmetic surgery operation on a Thai athlete was the cause for the sports person’s brain inflammation.

The athlete who was a member of the Thailand national team had an operation on her nose, but unfortunately she did not wake up from the anaesthetic for quite some time. She was taken home, but remained unconscious.

Her worried parents took her to hospital where she was diagnosed with inflammation of the brain.

This has raised questions as to whether cosmetic surgery was the cause. This has however been denied by Dr. Samphan Khomkrit, secretary-general of the Thailand medical council. He told reporters at a press conference: “Procedures for nose surgery, eye surgery, sinus operations and facial operations with local anaesthesia are usually safe.

He added: “However, all forms of operations may develop complications around the surgical areas such as inflammation or bacterial infection. In principle, the profiles of surgeons and clinics should be considered in the selection of service providers.”

These comments were echoed by Assoc Prof Dr Phakphum Supiyaphan the chair of the Royal College of Otolaryngologists – Head and Neck Surgeons of Thailand. He told the press conference that while the nose is quite close to the skull, and therefore the brain, the likelihood of the surgery itself causing a serious problem is probably rare, if there is a link at all.

It is thought the infection, while discovered after the athlete woke up it was probably already infected prior to the operation. The infection could then have travelled through the mucous membrane during surgery.