The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : 18-hour surgery performed on cancer patient

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Saturday, Aug 21, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

18-hour surgery performed on cancer patient

Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM: A team of doctors of a corporate hospital here performed an18-hour surgery on a 53-year-old man to remove his cheek bone, base of skull and his left eye, which were affected by cancer.The team of doctors of Care Hospital led by senior ENT surgeon Rakesh Godavarthi and comprising of plastic surgeons P.R.K. Prasad and Subba Reddy, surgical oncologist V. Murali Krishna and neuro surgeon P.V. Ramana conducted the rare and complicated one-step surgery from 6 a.m. to midnight. The patient, from West Godavari district, is recuperating well, according to a press release on Thursday.The surgery was extremely complicated and involved high risk since the vital organs of eye, cheek and base of skull were positioned close to each other but at difficult locations. Also, if the surgery was done in different stages the chances of cancer spreading was extremely high during the waiting period between the stages and could be fatal for the patient, explained the press release. This was the reason for the surgery done in one long single stage.Dr. Rakesh Godavarthi claimed that it was for the first time that such a surgery was performed in Visakhapatnam at one fourth of the cost compared to the expenses to be incurred if it was performed in Hyderabad or Chennai.

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