surgeons removed a coconutsized tumor from the thyroid gland of a 72yearold patient at a hospital in Delhi, India last month. The Indian farmer identified as Raghubir sought help after his death six months with difficulty breathing and swallowing food.
“I have operated on more than 250 cases of large thyroid tumors, but this was a unique case in terms of weight and size.”said Doctor Sangeet Agarwal.
According to him, these tumors weigh an average of 10 to 15 grams with a diameter of 3 to 4 centimeters. However, the older ones are average 20 centimeters. The complex operation lasted three hours. The patient’s vocal cords and parathyroid glands were preserved, successfully completing the most challenging part of the procedure, the Times of India reported. The thyroid was also removed.
The second challenge was to control excessive bleeding as the tumor was full of blood vessels and the likelihood of blood loss was very high.
“Particular care was taken not to puncture blood vessels”Sangeet said, adding that a special anesthetic technique had to be used when compressing the trachea.
The patient was discharged days later and returned to Begusarai village in Bihar, where he lives. He will have to take medications that are common for people without a thyroid gland until the end of his life.
The thyroid is a butterflyshaped organ located at the base of the neck. It releases hormones that control metabolism and regulate vital bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate, body weight, muscle strength, and the menstrual cycle.