The 60-year-old patient from Dubai was diagnosed with a rapidly growing, infiltrative, highly vascular skull base tumour of the right side
The doctors from the Institute of ENT, Head & Neck Surgery, MGM Healthcare, a multi-speciality quaternary care hospital, Chennai, announced the successful outcome of a marathon ENT surgery which lasted for 13 hours for advanced skull base vascular tumour resection in a 60-year-old patient from Dubai.
The patient, a 60-year-old expatriate from Dubai was diagnosed with a rapidly growing, infiltrative, highly vascular skull base tumour of the right side. The painful enlargement of the tumour mass was associated with hearing loss, persistent headache, pulsatile tinnitus and unprovoked bleeding from the right ear. He also had progressively worsening difficulty in phonation, acts of swallowing and breathing difficulty too.
A thorough clinical examination at MGM Healthcare revealed a soft mass popping out of the right external auditory canal which bled on touch and was pulsatile. Corroborative radiology findings confirmed the presence of a large highly vascular skull base tumour occupying the region of the right jugular foramen compressing the important cranial nerves which aid in the physiology of speech, swallowing and breathing. A diagnosis of Grade 4C Glomus Jugulare was arrived at based on the clinical and radiological findings.
Prof Dr Sanjeev Mohanty, Head, Institute of ENT, Head & Neck Surgery. further explained the case and said, “A multi-disciplinary team approach was adopted and the patient was subjected to pre-operative tumour embolization by the skilful neuro intervention radiology team at MGM. Histopathology further confirmed the nature of this aggressive vascular tumour. Thereafter, thorough surgical planning was done to avoid intraoperative complications associated with the surgical access to the huge skull base tumour. The important neurovascular structures in the vicinity of the relatively inaccessible anatomical areas was a surgical challenge during the operation. The surgical challenge was manifold due to the relatively inaccessible anatomical site of the skull base. This highly vascular tumour in an advanced stage had close adherence to vital nerves and vessels, connecting the brain through the numerous foramen in the base of the skull, which had already begun to show symptoms like bleeding, headache, hearing loss, compromised speech, breathing difficulty and issues in day to day living.”
The team of anaesthesiologists ensured a smooth intra-operative period. The surgical outcomes were excellent and postoperative period for the patient without any incidents. Shankar has got a new lease of life after a satisfying stint at MGM.
