Minimal access surgery saves 7 year old

Bangalore: Seven-year-old Srividya (name changed) suffered from persistent headaches and vomiting, nothing to indicate the life-threatening condition she was really suffering from.

When she was unable to concentrate on her daily activities and school work, her parents took her to a paediatrician who suspected gastritis and prescribed medication. For a while she seemed a little better but a few days later, the vomiting and headaches recurred and got worse.

“After a few days we noticed a mild imbalance while walking. Then, she began refusing to walk even for short distances. So the doctor advised that we take her to a physiotherapist. The therapist examined her and said there was nothing wrong with her leg,” says Sriviya’s father.

Numerous visits to hospitals and consultations with doctors and paediatricians followed. “Then one day she just stopped walking,” Srividya’s father said. A few days later she started feeling sleepy and drowsy and was rushed to a local hospital, where a neurologist asked for a brain MRI to be done immediately. The MRI revealed a large tumour in her brain.

Srividya was rushed to Fortis Hospital. Dr Rajkumar Deshpande, consultant neurosurgeon at Fortis Hospital, said, “Srividya was brought to us in an unconscious state. After detailed investigations, she underwent brain fluid removal as it was getting obstructed by the tumour.

This gave her temporary relief. After a few days we conducted a minimal access surgery to rem­ove the big mass from her brain. Neurosurgery to remove brain tumours is common but what is significant in minimal access neurosurgery is that only a small opening is made in the skull to extract the tumour and this procedure can be used successfully even for large, deep-seated tumours.” The tumour was quite big, measuring seven centimetres.

It was totally removed through a tiny incision and this ensured that there were fewer complications. “Since swelling is less and infection is avoided because of the small incision, the recovery of the patient is faster compared to conventional brain surgery,” Dr Deshpande explained.

Following the surgery, Srividya is able to walk and was discharged within a few days of the surgery. After a few weeks, an MRI of the brain showed that there was no trace of the tumour. The girl is recovering fast and will be able to get back to her normal activities in a few weeks, Dr Deshpande said.