The BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, located in Mumbai, recently revealed surgeons successfully removed a 1.873 kilogram (or 4.1 pound) tumor from a patient’s brain. The Indian hospital says their research indicates the tumor is the largest of its type in the worldwide medical record.
According to the Hindustan Times, the patient arrived at BYL Nair with a severe headache, blindness, and significant swelling under the scalp. The tumor had grown so significantly that it almost appeared as if the patient had a second head growing out of the top of his skull.
“Even the scalp vessels had become tortuous and dilated,” Dr. Trimurti Nadkarni, BYL Nair’s head of neurosurgery, told the Hindustan Times.
The tumor was deeply embedded into the brain, making the surgery especially risky. The patient arrived at BYL Nair after at least two other hospitals said the necessary procedure was beyond their capabilities.
The seven-hour surgery required the use of a special CT angiography to be sure the brain was being properly supplied with blood as the team worked on carefully removing the tumor.
“Such tumors are rare and are a surgical challenge owing to blood loss,” said Dr. Ramesh Bharmal, dean of BYL Nair Hospital, according to the Hindustran Times. “Managing the patient requires great team skill and intensive preoperative monitoring for a successful result. The patient has recovered well and is on a full diet. He feels relieved of ‘a large burden on his head.”
According to BBC News, the tumor had been present in the patient for at least three years before the procedure.
The patient is now recovering from the grueling surgery. Doctors give him a 50 percent chance of recovering his vision.
