Large skull base tumour removed from 15-year-old

Bhubaneswar: Surgeons of SUM Ultimate Medicare here have successfully removed a cricket ball size skull base tumour from a 15-year-old boy through minimal invasive surgery.

Sudam Kishku, who belongs to Mayurbhanj district, had experienced gradual facial swelling close to his left eye.

A thorough examination of the boy and relevant radiological investigations revealed the existence of a 7cm tumour involving the left supra and infratemporal fossa.

Dr Radhamadhab Sahu, senior consultant and head of Department of ENT and Skull Base Surgery said the location of the large tumour involving the base of the skull presented a difficult proposition. “It was difficult to remove the tumour completely and take care of cosmesis of the face at the same time,” he said.

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“We opted for endoscope assisted minimal invasive surgery adopting trans zygomatic approach to remove the tumour completely which lasted for two hours,” Dr Sahu said. The boy recovered well and was free from any complication and was discharged from the hospital on the fourth day after surgery, he informed. The biopsy report suggested it to be a nerve sheath tumour or ‘Schwannoma’, he said adding the post operative scan revealed a complete tumour removal.

Dr Sahu said trigeminal nerve Schwannoma of such big size in a 15-year-old boy is a rare occurrence as these tumours are found in people in the age group of 30 to 50 years. Usually these tumours lead to facial pain, numbness and paresthesia in the distribution of one of all the divisions of trigeminal nerve depending upon the location of the tumour, he said.