At Stanley Medical College and Hospital, doctors who examined Rathi found the biggest tumour they’d seen lodged in a patient’s throat. A request by Rathi made the task of removing the 10cm-long growth more challenging: “She asked if we could undertake the procedure without leaving a scar on her neck,” hospital dean Dr Ponnambala Namasivayam said.
Surgeons in the college’s ENT department pored over medical literature and discussed how they could excise the cylinder-shaped tumour without opening her throat.
“We decided to extract the tumour through the oral cavity,” ENT department head Dr S Muthuchitra said. The largest tumour that they had removed with the same procedure was 8cm long. In Rathi’s case, the tumour was visible through her mouth.
On December 29, Rathi underwent a three-hour operation to give her a fresh start. First up was tracheostomy — surgery to create an opening in the neck for direct access to the trachea (breathing tube). A team of six surgeons then excised the tumour and slid it out via the throat.
Three months later, the mother of two returned for a follow up. On Tuesday, she met the doctors who helped her breathe normally. “Rathi has any disfiguring incision mark,” Dr Muthuchitra said.