A 32-year-old man from Kolkata with a massive swelling in his right jaw approached doctors at MGM Healthcare for treatment.
The swelling had destroyed the symmetry of his face and he complained of not being able to swallow for the past year.
A clinical examination revealed an 8 x 10cm swelling on the right side of the face. As the skin over the swelling was stretched, he could not open his mouth.
The patient said he had delayed seeking medical care due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel. Doctors did a CT scan of the paranasal sinuses and also a biopsy of the lesion as they suspected it to be ameloblastoma, a locally aggressive benign tumour that affects the mandible and less commonly the maxilla.
Sanjeeve Mohanty, senior consultant and head, Institute of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, said ameloblastomas rarely affect the maxillary bone.
Maxillary ameloblastomas are notorious in secondarily invading through the nasal and paranasal sinuses, giving rise to increased morbidity and discomfort to the patients in day-to-day activities.
Dr. Mohanty excised the tumour completely and ensured that the margins were also disease-free. The patient had an uneventful post-operative period.
Doctors ensured that the patient’s vision was intact, and he could open his mouth normally. A CT scan three weeks after the surgery revealed no evidence of recurrent or residual lesion.
Dr. Mohanty attributed the success of the surgery to innovative endoscopic techniques that had resulted in a less radical surgery with lowered complications.
