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BRAIN ATTACK:

Max Patparganj Performs Surgery on a Bed-Ridden Man to Treat Elephantiasis

in Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj

A 40-years-old male met with an accident ten years ago, which resulted in disruption of his lymph nodes. After the accident, he developed a rare disease, Elephantiasis (Lymphedema), due to which, the weight of his one leg increased to 45 kg, and the circumference went up to 120 cm, restricting his ability to walk. He visited several hospitals across Delhi-NCR but was told that nothing could be done to cure his debilitating condition.

The patient then visited Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, where his treatment was started under the guidance of Dr Manoj Johar, Senior Director & HoD, Department of Aesthetic, Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery and Dr Pradeep Kumar Singh, Principal Consultant, Department of Aesthetic, Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery. 

Trulli

The team of doctors adopted conservative management with Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapy, Triple Bandaging and other methods to achieve optimal status. Multiple Lymphatic Venous Anastomosis (LVA) was performed on the patient, which helped bring down his leg's circumference to 112 cm. After two rounds of Reduction Surgeries, the limb girth is reduced to 65 cm. According to the doctors, this was a highly challenging case but was successfully executed with proper planning and teamwork. 

Talking about the case, Dr Johar said, "Lymphedema was traditionally treated with debulking and ablative treatments, in which excess volume of fat and fluid were immediately excised or eliminated via liposuction. On the other hand, these methods frequently lead to disfiguration or provide relief only for a brief period of time. LVA is relatively new technique and is now considered one of the gold standard therapies for Lymphedema.”


Dr Singh said, “Lymphatic Venous Anastomosis is a specialised surgery in which 0.1-0.2 mm diameter of lymph vessels are anastomosed (joined) with nearby veins with the help of a specialised microscope and super microsurgery instruments. We bypass the proximal blocked lymphatic pathways, and lymph is directly drained into the venous system.