A 17-year-old has been given a new lease of life after doctors here successfully operated and removed 1.9 kg tumour from his chest cavity.
The patient consulted doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) for a typical neck and chest pain and fever. After undergoing a series of comprehensive medical tests, the doctors diagnosed his condition to be a rare form of tumour — Thymolipoma (a condition in which the thymus gland grows in size and covers extensive portions of the chest and lungs).
“Thymolipomas are rare tumours composed of fatty tissue and thymic tissues. Thymolipomas, although benign in nature, can grow to considerable size and cause compression of surrounding structures, leading to difficulty in breathing, chest pain, and other discomforts,” said Dr Udgeath Dhir, Director and Head of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) at FMRI, in a statement.
Further, a high-resolution chest CT scan revealed a significantly large mass that occupied the majority of the chest cavity. The mass was putting immense pressure on the lungs and heart, as a result the heart and lungs were not functioning in their total capacity.
The doctors recognised the urgent need for medical intervention and went ahead with a high-risk surgery to remove the massive tumour.
For the complex surgery, the team of doctors made incisions along the sides of lungs, strategically minimising the potential risks associated with accessing and removing the tumour.
One of the most critical aspects of the surgery was the administration of anaesthesia. The medical team executed this step with meticulous precision, as inducting anaesthesia had high risk factors and would have led to compression of the heart and a potential halt in blood circulation once anaesthesia was induced.
“In this case, the patient’s quality of life was significantly impacted due to the size of the tumour. Using advanced imaging techniques and precise surgical planning, we were able to remove the Thymolipoma, while preserving the integrity of the surrounding vital structures. The procedure involved meticulous dissection and careful attention to detail, and we are pleased to report that the patient is recovering well post the surgery,” Dhir said.
“If such cases are not treated on time, the patient may have severe complications such as breathlessness, atrophic diaphragm muscles and reduced lung capacity. In this case, the chances of recurrence are very less as we removed the entire tissue which had the potential of re-growth,” he added.
