Tumour removal surgeries save 2

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City doctors have removed rare tumours from patients in risky surgeries, again establishing the high standards of medical science here.

Surgeons at a teaching hospital in the city have used sophisticated equipment to remove a cricket ball-sized tumour from the liver of a woman in 90 minutes in procedures much different from the conventional surgery that would have taken a gruelling 8-10 hours.

Daily wage labourer Valli’s tumour, a cancerous 10 x 8-cm growth that lay next to a major vein, was first removed in 2008. However, she needed another surgery in 2010 as the malignant tumour grew again in the same place.

When she returned to Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre (SRMC) this month, doctors were anxious as the tumour had come back, this time in her liver.

To make matters worse, it was again adhered to several blood vessels, making the process of removing it risky.

However, Valli was third-time lucky. “Valli, the sole breadwinner of her family, had already undergone two major surgeries,” said Dr A. Ravi, professor of surgery at SRMC.

The surgeons used tools such as the Cavitron ultrasonic aspirator and a harmonic scalpel to remove half of Valli’s liver and get rid of the tumour in 90 minutes.

“This kind of surgery would usually causes massive blood loss and the patient requires transfusion of 15 to 20 units of blood . We did the surgery with just one unit,” said Dr Ravi.

Valli was also fortunate as the chief minister’s health insurance scheme covered part of the surgery expenses, while the hospital waived the rest.

At Apollo Hospitals, an 8-cm tumour was removed from the spinal cord of a housewife from Tanzania, in risky microsurgery.

Rehana, 36, had been living with pain in the neck for three years. When her legs started getting weak and her pain worsened, she went to a hospital in Tanzania where doctors found a long growth in her spinal cord.

They also told her that it was inoperable as a tiny slip could leave her paralysed. Rehana took her chances and came to Chennai.

“Tumours in the cervical region of the spinal cord are rare and pose a great challenge to neurosurgeons,” explained Dr J.K.B.C. Parthiban, senior consultant neurosurgeon at the hospital, pointing out that very few of these tumours can be removed.

In the second week of July, a team of neuro-spinal surgeons headed by Dr Parthiban operated on Rehana.

“The tumour was large and supplied by many blood vessels. The spinal cord was accessed through a vertical incision on the back and the tumour was dissected from the cord using a delicate micro-surgical technique, ensuring that Rehana’s motor and sensory functions were intact,” Dr Parthiban explained.