Chennai: A 24-year-old BBA graduate from Tindivanam attempted suicide by consuming pesticide when he was working in a pesticide shop in 2011. Little did the son of a farmer know that in another two years, he would undergo three operations and it would be extremely difficult to breathe or talk.
His two years of difficulty finally came to an end when a team of doctors at Rajiv Gandhi government general hospital (RGGGH) recently performed tracheal stent, a first of its kind procedure in the state.
“He consumed an organophosphorous compound poison and was taken to the GH in Puducherry where he was diagnosed with superior laryngeal nerve palsy,” said Dr V. Kanagasabai, dean, RGGGH.
“After a few months, the patient found it difficult to breathe and visited a hospital in Porur where he underwent tracheostomy and was put on shiley tracheastomy tube to ease breathing difficulty,” said Prof Dr G. Gananathan
The patient spent almost Rs 3 lakh in a private hospital and finally, visited the GH where he was diagnosed with sub-glotic stenosis, which means problem below the vocal chord. “He could not breathe properly and we did shianlee technique and tracheoplasty. After tracheoplasty, Montgomery T tube was placed. This tube should be replaced once in a year and the patient would not be able to swim or do any other activity as the tube will be visible,” said Dr Gananathan.
As the 24-year-old patient worried about the visibility of the tube, the team of doctors decided to insert tracheal stent.
“An artificial silicon tube was inserted. We have used the same material that is used for heart stent. The patient can do anything now. Every three or six months we need to take an X-ray to make sure the tube is in place. This is the first time a government hospital has done this procedure. Only 50 such procedures have been done across the country earlier, that too, in private hospitals,” said Dr Gananathan.
The young graduate said he would never attempt suicide and that he was ready to face difficulties and come up in life.
Rare brain tumour removed  
Chennai: Four-year-old Lekha Shri preferred to drink only water and seldom ate solid food.
When her parents took her to a doctor, she was diagnosed with a very rare large brain tumour. As a few doctors her parents visited said it would not be possible do a surgery, her parents were worried about the future of the girl.
Then, Lekha’s parents visited Global Health City where a complex brain surgery was performed on her.
Speaking about it, Dr K. Sridhar, director, Institute of Neuro Sciences & Spinal disorders, Global Health City, said diagnosis showed that the girl was suffering from hypothalamic dysfunction. Hypothalamus controls our urge to eat, the salt and water balance and body temperature.
“The tumour was very large and exerting pressure on the hypothalamus. The tumour was closely related to hypothalamus and during formation of the brain, abnormal cells could have been left in that particular area. As hypothalamus controls salt and water, the girl was drinking only water and passing urine,” said Dr Sridhar.
The surgery went on for five hours. “Now the child has started eating well and she can be like any other normal kid. Brain tumour is not a common tumour and among kids, it’s very rare,” added Dr Sridhar.
The girl can lead a normal life and a tumour like this should and could be removed, said the doctor.