Indian doctors remove 800-gram tumour from Afghan toddler's chest

New Delhi: In yet another successful complicated surgery lasting for about six hours, Indian doctors have removed a 800-gram tumour from the chest of a three-year-old Afghan boy, giving him a new lease of life.

According to the doctors, who carried out the surgery on Imran on Tuesday, the tumour had compressed the entire right lung of the child, who weighed just ten kilograms.

"Because of the tumour, which extended from the back vertebra to the chest ribs, his right lung had totally collapsed and it was creating pressure even on the heart," said Dr Vipender Sabherwal, Director of Jeewan Hospital, located near the Ashram area in New Delhi.

Apparently, the boy's parents approached several hospitals in Afghanistan but none of them could took up the case due to lack of advance medical treatment, high cost and high risk involved, compelling them to bring their child to India.

When the doctors at the hospital here carried out investigations, the right side of the child's right lung was simply not visible in X-Ray scans.

Doctors ssaid the surgery was challenging as there was direct risk to the heart and the lung.

"He could have bled to death on the table. This while the operation was going on blood was being transfused continuously," Dr Sabherwal said.

However, doctors were able to remove the entire tumour which was stuck to the back bone and interior ribs and lungs during the surgery.

Dr Mohit Mathur, a surgeon who was part of the operating team, said, “the miraculous part was that once the tumour was removed, the lung started expanding and after 13 hours it became normal.”

Doctors said the tumour has been sent for biopsy to ascertain if it was malignant.

The boy is said to be recovering at the hospital ICU.

(With PTI inputs)