Diagnosed for obesity surgery in the US, 35 year old American Lady weighing 136 kg was correctly detected of brain tumor

Diagnosed for obesity surgery in the US, 35 year old American Lady weighing 136 kg was correctly detected of brain tumor

In the unique case which will strengthen the confidence of the World in the abilities of Indian doctors, team of specialist correctly diagnosed and treated a 35 year old US national Ms Michelle Hardin of brain tumor. The US doctors had earlier diagnosed the condition as a case of obesity and recommended Gastric Bypass Surgery.

In the last few years Ms Hardin’s weight increased from 190 pounds to 300 pounds (86 kg to 136 kg). She also suffered from diabetes and hypertension. “I tried various diet control measures but to no avail. Also I had excessive thirst and would drink almost 8 liter of liquid daily and would feel always hungry. My obesity caused breathing difficulty (sleep apnea) and for which I used a special machine (CPAP Machine) to keep oxygen under pressure. Seven months back I took an expert opinion in US, where I was asked to undergo Gastric Bypass Surgery (GBS) to treat obesity. Since GBS was very expensive in US, I thought of undergoing the treatment in India.” Ms Hardin

Ms Hardin decided to visit to consult Dr Ramen Goel who has a vast experience of performing thousands of advanced laparoscopic surgeries including bariatric surgeries.

“Ms Hardin visited us with the known fact that she had to undergo Bariatric surgery through Gastric Bypass method. Detailed investigations at the hospital however revealed that she actually had a Pituitary Tumor on the right side of the pituitary gland of about 1cm in diameter. The weight gained was actually because of this pituitary tumour and not because of any case of obesity. I referred her to Dr Milind Vaidya, Consultant Neurosurgeon who has an expertise to remove the tumour through minimally invasive procedure.” said Dr Ramen Goel.

Dr. Milind Vaidya, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Fortis Hospitals Mulund said, “The tumor, situated in pituitary gland at the base of the brain, triggered excessive production of cortisol hormone by the adrenal glands leading to complications like uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension and weight gain. We treated her by transnasal- transsphenoidal excision of the pituitary tumor (a minimally invasive procedure) on 14th Jan 2011.”

Dr Vaidya used an endoscope & microscope to reach the tumour through her nostrils. He used both the nasal openings to reach the tumour to avoid incision or scar. He took special care to remove every bit of the tumour, to achieve cure and preserve the normal pituitary gland.

Ms Hardin had an uneventful excision of the right sided tumor and the normal pituitary on the left side was left untouched. Her nasal pack has been removed and she is doing well post-operation, with diabetes & hypertension under good control.

“I was shocked to learn that I suffered from tumour. I thank the doctors of Fortis Hospital. Had there been no timely intervention from them I wouldn’t know what would have happened to my life. Post operative my thirst & appetite have reduced markedly to normal levels. Doctor assured that my weight will be restored to normalcy gradually.” Ms Hardin.

According to Dr Vaidya, “Ms Hardin’s life is today safe and secure only because of timely detection. Had we continued the treatment of GBS or had we wrongly diagnosed the case, her condition could have been critical. Hence timely detection and right expertise is very crucial. This case is a testimony to the quality and credibility of Indian Healthcare expertise.”

Today India is considered as the best treatment destination by foreign patients as they can avail the finest medical facilities at affordable rates.

Nigerian Woman who underwent Cancer Treatment during Pregnancy”

Nigerian Woman who underwent Cancer Treatment during Pregnancy”

In a unique and one of cases, a 26 year old Nigerian woman who was diagnosed of breast cancer during her pregnancy. She has undergone breast cancer surgery & chemotherapy during her pregnancy and has successfully delivered the child during her treatment process.

Dr Kaushal Malhan, Orthopedic Surgeon- CNN IBN

Superbug yet to bite medical tourism in India
Nikita Mishra , CNN-IBN
Posted on Aug 25, 2010 at 12:38pm IST

Mumbai: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently endorsed the Lancet study on the NDM-1 superbug traced to India. But so far, medical tourism in the country hasn't been hit.

That's surprising as UK health experts issued warnings against unnecessary health travel to India.

But the real threat is antibiotic resistance.

The Lancet report has also not gone down well with Indian health authorities. They said superbug is a global phenomenon and the international media is painting the quality of healthcare in India in a harsh light.

The fear back home is of a backlash on the booming medical tourism industry, which is expected to see revenues of $ 1 billion every year from 2011.

Around 50 lakh foreign patients come to India for medical travel and their footfall has not dropped post the Lancet study.

Brinda from the US is in Mumbai for a hip replacement surgery. When asked if the superbug scare bothered her, she said: "We knew it was hugely exaggerated. My husband is a journalist, we know what to trust what not to."

She added: "I know there are more bugs in my country than elsewhere. What matters is the care you get and that has been better than what I could've got in the US and at a third of the cost."

But the superbug scare is not all hype. In March, Mumbai based Hinduja Hospital isolated 22 cases of the NDM-1 superbug resistant to a broad spectrum of highly powerful antibiotics.

This has been under investigation since 2009. And the big superbug scare over the past decade has been the MRSA threat in the UK and US.

Dr Kaushal Malhan, knee and hip surgeon at Fortis Hospital, said: "Antiobiotic resistace is a big problem. Many times, antibiotics are prescribed for viral and cold, which may not even be bacterial infections. Many dcotors prescribe higher-end antibiotics when a lower one can be effective. There is no control on over-the-counter sales in our country."

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is almost a direct result of overuse. Sources in the health ministry admit antibiotic usage in India has shot up by 70% in the past five years alone.

Tuberculosis is classic example. A disease almost eradicated in the 80s still remains a big killer. Multi-drug resistance is still being fought.

The Lancet study should serve as a wake-up call for a stricter antibiotic policy in India

cricket match among patinet underwent - Knee Surgery Vs Spine Surgery

Spine surgeries and knee replacement has not affected their spirit; they are enthusiastic to play sports even at the age of 90; they are motivated to be active and self- reliant. A group of Septuagenarians and Octogenarians are all set to experience the joy of playing cricket: a’la IPL way. They will bond together to share and learn from each other to lead a normal life even after undergoing complex bone and joint surgeries.

Dr Sachin Bhonsle, Orthopedic Surgeon

Rare surgery helps man get back severed wrist

23-yr-old factory worker regains movement of crushed limb in miraculous procedure at Mulund hospital

By Jyoti Shelar
Posted On Friday, May 20, 2011


About three weeks ago, 23-year-old Avinash Patil watched in horror as his severed right wrist dangled precariously, almost about to fall off his hand as he was being taken to hospital.

The wrist was crushed in a biscuit-making machine at a factory in Ambernath where Patil works.

“The sight still sends a shiver down my spine,” says the Badlapur resident, touching the re-sutured wrist, unable to believe that his hand has been saved. “A thin layer of skin held my wrist to the hand.”

Doctors at Fortis Hospital in Mulund where the surgery was performed said the fact that the severed wrist could be reattached after 14 hours is a miracle, and that Patil should consider himself a lucky man.

Running from pillar to post

“On night shift that day, I was cleaning the machines that churn the powder used to make biscuits. A colleague who was cleaning another part of the machine accidentally switched on the machine while my hand was near the cutter,” recalled Patil, shrugging his shoulders, as if trying to flick aside the thought.

Patil, who hails from Jalgaon and is the family’s only financial support, was taken to a nearby nursing home where he was given painkillers and advised being shifted to Sion hospital. Due to a shortage of paramedical staff, Patil was directed to JJ Hospital, Byculla where the doctors said the wrist could be fixed and besides there were too many surgeries scheduled.

By then, Patil’s employer had managed to fix an appointment at Fortis Hospital to which he was immediately transported.


“We got to the hospital around 4.30 am and the doctors wasted no time,” said Patil. “They said the chance of the wrist’s survival was just one per cent.”

Patil can now move the fingers of his right hand. Besides, doctors say he is no longer susceptible to contracting any infection.

A fortnight later, he is scheduled to undergo another surgery to join the nerves so that he regains sensation in his wrist.

Medical miracle

A medical team then performed the revascularisation surgery. It involves providing new blood supply to the body part. After revascularisation, the wrist was repaired and surgically reconstructed.

The blood flow to the wrist was restarted the following day around noon.

“His wrist was detached. All arteries supplying blood to the hand were cut and so were all veins and nerves,” said Dr Sachin Bhonsle, orthopaedic surgeon at Fortis Hospital.

Dr Bhonsle said 14 hours is a long gap to restore the body part. “Normally, body tissues can withstand loss of blood circulation for up to four hours,”

He said that in countries having cool climates, such tissues can be preserved but not in a country like ours.

Dr Bhonsle added, “In such cases, chances of contracting an infection are very high. That the limb survived for 14 hours is a miracle in itself.”

Dr Kaushal Malhan, Orthopedic Surgeon TKR Surgery

Fortis Hospitals ushers in the Latest Technology in Knee Replacement-
“For the first time in Mumbai a Hospital has performed a virtual surgery before an actual surgery”

Mumbai, 19th May 2011: Ushering in the latest Joint a Replacement Surgery, Fortis Hospitals Mulund announced PSI (Patient Specific Instrumentation) Knee Replacement Surgery which allows the doctor to plan and literally execute the surgery even before touching the patient. This increases accuracy & improves decision making at time of operation.

Dr. Kaushal Malhan, Knee & Joint replacement surgeon, Fortis Hospitals for the first time in Mumbai performed a bilateral knee replacement on a 61 year old suffering from severe osteoarthritis using this technique. Before actually performing the bilateral knee replacement surgery, Dr Malhan operated the patient virtually on software using 3D images of the patient’s knees.

Dr. Kaushal Malhan, Knee & Joint replacement surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Mulund said, “In conventional knee replacement methods of all the thinking and planning occurs at time of surgery after the knee has been opened. This increases time spent and also the possibility of error. Techniques like computer navigation help to increase the accuracy of bone cuts but do not allow planning of these before the time of surgery whereas in PSI knee replacement a surgeon can select options preoperatively. The exact replica of the patient’s bones is made available as a 3D model on the computer. The surgical cuts and spatial placement of implants can then be done virtually on computer using specialized software and this model. The surgeon can almost do the operation for that patient on the computer even before taking the patient to the operation theatre.”

Before surgery, doctor takes a MRI for a very precise, three-dimensional (3-D) measurement of the knee. Using this 3-D image and specialized computer software, surgeon creates a detailed plan for the surgery. Instruments are then manufactured so as to allow the surgeon to simply mimic what they have already done on the computer. At time of the actual operation one has to simply execute the plan using these instruments designed for that particular patient.

Mr. Vijay Ratna, Regional General Manager, Fortis Hospitals Mulund said, “The operation for knee replacement has been performed for the first time in Mumbai using the PSI technology. This is indeed a medical breakthrough and likely to revolutionize the way knee replacement surgeries are performed in India. We are glad to be the first adapters of this technology. Our ultimate objective is to ensure the best treatment for patients with better results.”

Case Details:

A 61 year old lady (weighing around 114 kgs) was having severe osteoarthritis which involved both the knees. Her knees were permanently bent since the last few years and she could bend her knees only upto 70- 80 degrees on both the sides. PSI knee replacement was successfully performed on her and was able to walk the next day of the surgery.