Neurosurgery scandal in Austria: 12-year-old girl drilled patient’s skull

21 August 2025 , 09:14

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Neurosurgery scandal in Austria: 12-year-old girl drilled patient’s skull

In Austria, a neurosurgeon from the city of Graz will stand trial after allowing her 12-year-old daughter to take part in an operation and drill into a patient’s skull.

In the Austrian city of Graz, a trial has begun over a neurosurgical operation at a university clinic.

According to Bild, prosecutors received case materials indicating that in January 2024, a doctor allowed her 12-year-old daughter to drill a hole in a patient’s skull. Charges have now been filed not only against her but also against a colleague who took part in the operation, on grounds of causing bodily harm.

The victim was 33-year-old farmer Gregor P., who had suffered a head injury after a tree fell on him. To monitor his intracranial pressure, doctors were to insert a sensor, which required a small hole in the skull. According to investigators, under her mother’s supervision, the 12-year-old girl placed a medical drill on the exposed section of the skull and bored a hole approximately 15 millimeters in diameter.

Several clinic staff members confirmed that after the operation, the mother boasted that her daughter had “just made her first hole in a skull.” A nurse and another doctor also acknowledged the child’s involvement in the complex procedure.

The defendants deny any wrongdoing. The neurosurgeon has been temporarily suspended from her duties and is expected to testify in court this autumn. The victim’s lawyer, Peter Freiberger, said his client intends to seek €20,000 in moral damages from the doctor.

Elizabeth Baker

Technology & Business Editor