Chennai: In a first-of-its-kind in South India, doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) successfully performed a surgery to remove the affected portion of the larynx, even as the ability to speak was preserved.
In 2014, P. Ganesan, a former daily wager and resident of Pattinampakkam, was admitted to the hospital with complaints of hoarseness in his voice. After undergoing a complete examination, doctors in the ENT department of the hospital discovered the presence of a tumour in his voice box (carcinoma larynx). He underwent radiotherapy to which he had reportedly responded well.
Two years after the surgery, Ganesan, aged 50 years, suffered from hoarseness in voice again. He visited the hospital, where it was found that the tumour, which had developed in size, was malignant thereby requiring immediate treatment. If not treated, doctors said it would lead to a dangerous and fatal situation within a few months.
“The final option was to perform a surgery. Instead of total laryngectomy, which would remove speech and also create a permanent hole in the patient’s neck to ease breathing process, the doctors decided to undertake partial laryngectomy,” said Dr K. Narayanasamy, dean of the hospital. “If the tumour was not removed, it would affect his esophagus, the food pipe, which is just behind the larynx,” he added.
The surgery undertaken by a team led by Dr R. Muthukumar last August was done under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. Two months of post-operative care later, Ganesan was discharged from the hospital.
