inimally Invasive Surgery Removes Sinus Tumor Without Disfiguration

Only about one in 2,000 people in the United States get a sinus tumor, but Johnnie Wilcox was one of the unfortunate few

s Wilcox’s tumor was a classic case She had few symptoms early on, and even those problems were mistaken for blocked sinuses

“For several months, I could not breathe through the right side of my nose,” recalled the resident of Goldthwaite, a town of less than 2,000 in the heart of Texas’ Hill ountry “I felt a fullness, but I didn’t take that as something terrible I never believed it would be a malignant tumor”

She began to suspect a problem when her symptoms persisted, then worsened When she developed swelling above her right eye and a red streak on her face, family members took her to the nearest emergency room, where an ear, nose and throat specialist identified the tumor

Her doctor told her it needed to be removed and recommended Dr Pete Batra, associate professor of otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery and co-director of the omprehensive Skull Base Program at UT Southwestern edical enter Dr Batra specializes in minimally invasive approaches to the skull base and innovative management strategies for chronic rhinosinusitis, or inflammation of the sinuses

Removing tumors such as s Wilcox’s from the base of the skull can be a challenge, Dr Batra said, because they often grow precariously close to critical cranial nerves, blood vessels and eye sockets xtensive experience and special skills are needed to remove them without damaging nearby structures like the eye and brain

“Traditionally, tumors of the sinuses have been removed by open craniofacial resection This involves making incisions on the face and a craniotomy, which is removal of the forehead bone flap by a neurosurgeon,” Dr Batra said

With the advances in sinus endoscopy, however, many tumors can now be removed directly through the nose, avoiding the need for facial incisions or a craniotomy omplications are decreased and recovery is faster

While not all patients are candidates for the minimally invasive techniques, s Wilcox was, Dr Batra said

“I was told I might have to give up my right eye to the disease, but of course, none of that happened Dr Batra removed it piece by piece through my right nostril with no major facial scarring,” she said “To me Dr Batra is a miracle doctor I would not be living now if this tumor was still bleeding”

Instead, she’ll celebrate her 85th birthday on hristmas Day

In addition to sinus tumors, the omprehensive Skull Base Program at UT Southwestern addresses more than two dozen types of skull-base related conditions, including cerebrospinal fluid leak, glomus tumors, meningioma, neurofibromatosis, pituitary neoplasms, sarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and van Hippel Landau disease

A multidisciplinary team of physicians from a range of specialtiesotolaryngologyhead and neck surgery, neurological surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-oncology, radiation oncology, interventional radiology and pathology carefully coordinate the care and treatment of patients using the latest techniques and technology

Visit http:wwwutsouthwesternorgskullbase to learn more about clinical services in the omprehensive Skull Base Program at UT Southwestern

Source
UT Southwestern edical enter

source : www.medicalnewstoday.com

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Submited at Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 7:00 am on ENT by madison
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