Photo: Nicole Dorling, Lort Smith.

Have you seen the story of George, the goldfish with a brain tumor? His “tail” of survival splashed across the web and twittersphere this week.

Distraught pet owners in Melbourne, Australia brought their ten-year-old goldfish, George, to see the vet after he developed a visibly large mass on his brain. The vet, Dr. Tristan Rich of Lort Smith Animal Hospital, performed a life saving operation to remove the tumor. George has now happily returned to his pond, where he is expected to live another ten or twenty years.

This story did not go unnoticed by the brain surgeons here at Columbia’s Department of Neurosurgery, and it spawned some interesting discussion about the logistics of brain surgery on such a tiny animal.

“I think I can really appreciate the pressure of the veterinarian on performing this delicate procedure to deliver a functioning George back to his family,” says Dr. Michael B. Sisti from our Brain Tumor Center. “It must have taken a lot of skill and creativity to do this. I think Dr. Tristan Rich must have a great touch!”

Learn more about Dr. Michael Sisti on his bio page here.