S. Vijayalakshmi (41), a resident of Kurumbapalayam near Thondamuthur here, was suffering from persistent cough and breathing difficulties. Upon being admitted to a private hospital, the doctors found a tumour in the thymus, located in the chest. She was referred to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on April 7.
CT scan and radiological tests revealed the dimensions of the tumour and its exact location. After assessing her cardiac fitness and respiratory reserve, she was taken up for ‘thoracoscopic excision of anterior mediastinal mass.’
After completing the diagnosis, a team led by M. Vanithamani, Head, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department, opted for a minimally-invasive surgery to deal with the situation rather than the conventional open surgery, which could cause an increased blood loss. Other members of the team include assistant professor L. Senthil Kumar, anaesthetists Shantha Arulmozhi and Jaishankar Narayanan.
Explaining the process during a press conference here on Monday, Dr. Vanitha said that three punctures were made in the chest with their diameter being 10 mm, 5 mm and 5 mm. While a camera was inserted in one hole, a medical equipment was inserted in the other to suck out the tumour and a life support equipment in the final one. Using this procedure, the tumour was removed entirely without it disintegrating.
“This was the first time a complicated surgery of this nature was being performed in a Government Hospital in Tamil Nadu. The advantage of this procedure is the recovery time coming down to two days, compared with the 15 days for open surgery,” added Dr. Vanithamani.
‘This is the first time a complicated surgery of this nature was being performed in a GH in Tamil Nadu’
