Siblings undergo challenging surgeries for removal of tumours

UP woman critical after doctors leave cloth in stomach during surgery
Representative image. Photo: IANS

New Delhi: Two siblings from Uttarakhand, who were diagnosed with a rare syndrome, got a new lease of life after large tumours in their adrenal glands were surgically removed at a hospital here, doctors said on Monday.

"Biopsy reports of the tumours revealed pheochromocytoma (rare adrenal tumor). Genetic studies of the siblings have revealed a rare familial tumour syndrome called VHL (Von Hippel-Lindau) syndrome. This syndrome causes tumours all over the body," the hospital said in a statement.

Both brother (8) and sister (15) were recently presented to doctors at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with very high blood pressure to the tune of 200/120 mm Hg, and were suffering from various complications, including seizures, they said.

After evaluation, the boy was found to have a large tumour of the size of 4.5 cm in the left adrenal gland. His sister was found to have two tumours, one in each adrenal gland, the larger one in right adrenal gland measuring 5.5 cm and another in left adrenal gland measuring 2.5 cm, the statement said.

Dr Ashwin Mallya, urologist and robotic surgeon, who operated on both the patients, said, "The initial challenge for us was to stabilise the blood pressure of the siblings before planning the complex surgery. We planned to remove the tumours and preserve the normal part of adrenal gland because adrenal glands are very vital organs of the body as they produce steroids and maintain blood pressure".

"We accomplished this by using minimally invasive surgery through key hole incisions," he said.

Both siblings have recovered and have resumed schooling within two weeks of their surgery, doctors said.

According to Dr Ajay Sharma, chairperson, urologist and robotic surgeon, at the hospital, said, "The tumours of adrenal gland are very challenging to operate because of their location in the body. These glands are small, triangular shaped glands located on top of both kidneys. They are very close to the major blood vessels and during operation there are chances of life-threatening fluctuation in blood pressure and heart rate".

Surgeries of both the children took about five and a half hour.

Meanwhile, Aakash Healthcare Hospital here in a statement said that a three-year-old boy's arm was "saved from amputation" as doctors performed a surgery on him after a four-inch thick iron rod had ripped a 6 cm hole in his arm in an accident.

On June 26, the boy was brought to the facility in Dwarka's emergency department with a serious injury on his arm. The accident was so terrible that the child had passed out due to excessive blood loss, it said.

Dr Neeraj Godara, consultant, hand, wrist, and reconstructive microsurgeon at the hospital, said, "Because of the child's age, the surgery was extremely complex and difficult. Even a minor mistake could have resulted in the child losing his arm. To reestablish the blood supply, we extracted a vein from his foot and used it as a connecting artery. The vein served as the primary artery, saving the child's limb".

The surgeons were successful in restoring the hand's oxygen and blood supply. His arm would have been severed if the child had arrived half an hour late. However, prompt assistance saved his arm, the hospital claimed. 

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