Press Coverage

• A 42-year-old woman was referred to Paras Hospital Gurgaon after being diagnosed with hearing loss, tinnitus with a  diagnosis of GlomusJugulare arising from jugular foramen in the temporal bone of cranium.
• Termed as one of the most complex surgeries across the world which lasts for 8 hours, Dr. Sahu’s team From Department of ENT & Skull Base Surgery at Paras Hospitals removed the tumor successfully.
• The Paragangliomas are rare head and neck tumor occurring in 1 out of 100,000 people, affecting women four folds more than men.

Gurgaon, 10^th November 2017: When a 42-year-old Iraqi woman experienced loss of hearing and tinnitus in her left ear, she was in for a shock as investigation detected a rare tumor adjoining the base of skull named as GlomusJugulare.When her medical profile was prepared in Iraq, she flew to India and was referred to Paras Hospital’s Gurgaon to Dr. RadhamadhabSahu and his team.

“After the diagnosis was confirmed by our team, the tumor was to be carefully evaluated. The surrounding region of the tumor held up with most vital structures of the body. We had to be especially careful because the placement of the tumor was difficult to reach. The patient had a deep-rooted tumor at the base of the skull in the temporal bone. The surgery is complex and challenging calling to attention the sensitive connectivity in the body and was performed only in a few countries over the globe.If it would not have been diagnosed and removed timely, it could have lead to serious consequences in the future” said Dr. Radhamadhab Sahu, Senior Consultant ENT & Skull base surgery at  Paras Hospital Gurgaon.

Such tumors are widely known to have a genetic origin and affect women four to six times more than men. Paragangliomas are usually benign and slowly grow to manifest itself in the form of a tumor. A large enough Paragangliomatumor can cause weakness in facial muscles and tongue, hoarseness or headaches. The detection of the tumor is usually done through imaging, CT scan or an MRI. A smallParagangliomatumor can be taken off with a surgery, with the better speed of recovery. But if the tumor involves the blood vessels and veins, removal becomes much more difficult. In the above case, the tumor is involving the jugular fossa and the internal carotid artery, the main vessel which supplies the brain. So the case is really a great challenge to operate.

Reflecting on the characteristics of the tumor Dr. Sahu says “The tumor, in this case, constitutes the second most common tumor of the temporal bone and one of the commonest tumor affecting the base of the skull in the temporal bone area. Although rare, these lesions are frequently encountered by skull base surgeon. They are usually detected early through the loss of hearing and a persistent ringing sound in the ear (tinnitus). The team at Paras with Dr.Sahu worked with precision for 8 hours to remove the tumor under general anesthesia with the latest technique of advanced skull base surgery under endoscopic vision. The patient was admitted for three days, and after surgery, had no major complications as concluded from the postoperative imaging.”

The patient was discharged from hospital in normal condition, without any major cause for a concern.No major clinical morbidly was found in the patient and she was discharged from the hospital hale and hearty.

Given the prompt and focused effort by the medical team resulting in a successful surgery, the patient and her family members are elated to fly back home. The case highlights the role of correct diagnosis and intervention that gets handled proactively by hospitals like Paras. The family members were immensely grateful for they had lost all hope at the chances of recovery from the rare tumor. This diagnosis leads to triumph over the disease for the happy family.