In a rare incident, a 27-year-old woman in Delhi was suffering from severe headache, vomiting, altered sensorium, and prolonged numbness. When the doctors examined her they were shocked to see that the woman who was also a young mother suffering from a rare 7 cm cardiac tumour, a part of which broke and travelled to her brain causing a stroke.
A team of doctors at Max Hospital, Patparganj performed a minimally invasive procedure and successfully treated the woman.
“During the evaluation, the patient who came in with symptoms of stroke, a 7 cm tumour (size of a large lemon) was discovered inside one of the chambers of her heart. A part of the tumour had broken away, leading to a blockage in the brain’s circulation. A team of doctors led by Dr Vaibhav Mishra, Director & Head – CTVS Cardiac Surgery (CTVS), Cardiac Sciences Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj removed the tumour that entered the brain, resulting in a brain stroke,” the hospital stated.
Dr Vaibhav Mishra, Director and Head, CTVS Cardiac Surgery (CTVS), Cardiac Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj revealed that the patient arrived with symptoms of a stroke, which is particularly uncommon in young individuals, especially women.
“She was immediately assessed by a neurologist who initiated prompt treatment. Recognising the rarity of stroke at such a young age, a comprehensive diagnostic workup was undertaken, including extensive imaging of her head and the arteries in her neck, to identify the precise cause of her paralysis. During this thorough evaluation, a tumour was detected inside one of the heart’s chambers. It was determined that a fragment of this tumour had broken off and travelled to her brain, obstructing blood flow and resulting in stroke,” Dr. Mishra said while addressing the media.
This phenomenon, known as embolization, occurs when a solid substance detaches from its parent tumour and lodges in another organ, most commonly the brain, he said.
Dr Mishra added that a minimally invasive ‘scarless’ procedure was performed to remove the tumour in her heart. He also informed that conventional open-heart surgery means cutting the breast bone and a big incision in the centre of the chest but because of her young age, we decided to do a minimally invasive surgery where a 5 cm cut was given in right chest and without cutting the ribs. The cut was below the breast and hence is barely visible now leading to a cosmetic appearance and no scar, Dr. Mishra said.
While addressing the reporters, Dr. Vivek Kumar, Senior Director, Neuro Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, who first treated the patient for stroke added that due to the prompt and accurate diagnosis, the patient’s weakness improved significantly and she made full recovery. The total excision of the tumour cures the patient and prevents any further brain stroke.
Post the successful surgery and full recovery, the patient was discharged from the hospital on the fourth day, the hospital said in a statement.