A team headed by Dr Vinod Rambal, Neurosurgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals Mira Road performed a successfully life-saving on a 3-year-old boy to remove a brain tumour at a critical location. The child recovered in a week’s time and is as playful as before though some medication and follow up are required child has to grow. He performs a normal routine after getting discharged from the hospital.
The patient and his parents are residents of Nala Sopara, who was normal and playful earlier. However, later the parents noticed that the child was complaining of persistent headaches and had dropped his physical activity. He was unduly sleepy and lethargic in comparison to his usual self; his vision also was hazy.
He required his parent’s assistance even while walking, standing, going to the washroom, or eating. The parents were alarmed as the playful child was now miserable. After they got the medical help and investigation revealed a nasty finding large sellar suprasellar tumour in the centre of the brain. On either side were the main blood channels and nerves responsible for seeing. After a while such a difficult issue took some time to sink into their parents' minds and approached Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road wherein he underwent successful removal of the tumour.
Dr Vinod Rambal, Neurosurgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road said, “As the family knew about the child’s medical condition, they were first attended at OPD and then got admitted. MRI scan revealed a calcified brain tumour at the centre, round non-homogeneous with dimensions of about 3x4x5 cm. The entire area is vital for life and especially for growing children. Critical neural structures like nerves from both eyes, optic nerves, major blood channels and a part named the hypothalamus. This lump comes from the part of the brain due to developmental errors in the mother’s womb from different areas, and the location is underneath and above the nerves which are meant for the eyes. This tumour is affecting the function of the pituitary gland “king of glands” and hypothalamus. Both these parts of the brain control growth, and function of, the thyroid, and adrenal gland. The hypothalamus controls all the functions by controlling and production of releasing hormones required to sustain all bodily functions and growth It comprises less than 0.2 per cent per million people. These tumours appear in children or another group is grown-up people.
Rambal added, “A multi-disciplinary approach was undertaken to successfully treat the patient. The team of doctors comprised a paediatric neurologist, paediatrician, and endocrinologist. He underwent surgery, craniotomy and gross total removal of the tumour. After putting the child to sleep, the skull was opened on the right side just above the eye and after careful entry into the base of the brain tumour was visualised. The tumour was soft and variable in consistency and was broken into mall bits and cleared piecemeal from normal parts. Under the microscope, using a microsurgical technique it took about 4 hours to remove the tumour. All this while one was working in someone’s critical part of the brain almost having life in the surgeon’s hand. The margin of error is zero and involves the highest amount of precision. He woke up immediately after an operation and was monitored in ICU for about a week. All vital functions were intact and would pass a bit more urine than desired and were controlled with medication. On the 10th postoperative day, he walked home.
The child is now happy and is following the paediatrician and endocrinologist for future management. “We were in immense pain to see our child suffering in silence. We are happy to see our son leading a normal life,” concluded the patient’s father.
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