SUM surgeons successfully remove rare tumour in a newborn baby

A team of neuro surgeons at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here have successfully conducted a critical surgery to remove a rare tumour attached to the tailbone of a newborn baby recently.

The baby, born to a couple from Khurda district, had the tumour which resembled a head with skin, ears and hair. The parents rushed the baby to the hospital.

After the baby was examined by pediatricians, a team under the supervision of eminent neuro surgeon and SOA’s Principal Advisor (Health Science), Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra decided to conduct the surgery.

The condition, known as sacrococcygeal teratoma in medical parlance, could be life threatening and required immediate surgery for the removal of the tumour.

Speaking to media persons, Prof. Mahapatra said it was a congenital defect and occurred within two to four weeks of conception. The tumour takes shape at one end of the neural tube which develops to be the brain and spinal cord. “In this case, the tumour weighed about one kg,” he said.

Prof. Soubhagya Panigrahi, Professor in the Neuro Surgery department said the surgery, conducted under the state government’s BSKY scheme, took nearly three hours. Prof. Ram Chandra Deo, Professor in the same department said that anesthetists and the team manning the neo-natal ICU had a significant role in making the surgery successful.

Prof. Prerana Biswal, Associate Professor in the Anesthesia department, was also present at the media briefing.