Bengaluru: For 29-year-old Manoj, a pet shop owner who was seeking treatment for difficulty in breathing, it came as a rude shock when the doctors informed him that they would have to remove his voice box to remove a tumour.
They assured him that it was his only chance of being able to breathe and talk properly. Manoj had been experiencing the problem for almost a month.
Initially he used nasal sprays and inhalers, but it was of little help and Manoj had to be hospitalized.
In October 2016, he was taken to a private hospital and after several investigations and tests, he underwent an emergency tracheotomy.
However, Manoj was unhappy with the treatment and moved to a reputed cancer hospital. The doctors here evaluated his condition (through multiple scans) and recommended total laryngectomy (complete removal of the voice box).
Manoj and his family were completely shattered at the thought of him losing his voice due to the removal of the voice box and other asthmatic complications as recommended by the doctors.
Not happy with the doctor’s response, Manoj finally visited Apollo Hospital, Bannerghatta Road. He was admitted at the Minimally Invasive Head and Neck Surgery Department under the care of Dr Satish Nair.
Dr Satish and his team studied Manoj’s case in detail and started evaluating the best procedure that could be conducted on him in order to save his voice box and at the same time improve his condition.
"We took into consideration his young age for a surgery with curative intent but minimising the morbidities. On November 2016, Manoj underwent a laryngeal and tracheal reconstruction aryngo tracheoplasty). The tumour was removed completely along with the trachea which was reconstructed and a T-tube was placed as a stent," Dr Satish said.
"The larynx and trachea are well healed without any stricture (constriction) or recurrence of cancer. Manoj is able to phonate (speak) well and without any major scar or stoma (opening in neck)," Dr Satish summed up.
