CHENNAI: Doctors in the Apollo Hospitals saved the life of a 54-year-old software engineer by a new technique after he was diagnosed with giant ballooning of the blood vessel in the brain recently.
Veerapandian, working as a software engineer in Dubai, came to Chennai after doctors there told him that his condition was serious and advised to go to India for treatment.
“I had fever and mild headache and also drooping of left eyelid. I thought that I did not have any serious symptoms. After coming to Chennai doctors explained my condition and how serious it is,” Veerapandian told reporters.
Veerapandian was diagnosed with giant aneurysm (ballooning of the blood vessel in the brain). “The aneurysm was unusual in location, large in size and was in the branch point of a blood vessel. It was behind the left eye. It was large, so would have burst at anytime. Then it could have been fatal,” said Dr Srinivasan Paramasivam, head of Neuroendovascular Surgery at Apollo Hospitals.
The doctor said traditionally aneurysm was treated by open surgery which is associated with higher risk of morbidity. But for Veerapandian the aneurysm was treated with a minimally invasive procedure.
In coiling and flow diversion, an endovascular technique, a device is placed in the blood vessel to allow blood flow. Through groin coiling and flow diversion devices were inserted using catheter and prevented the blood flow to the aneurysm.
The four-hour procedure was performed on April 16. The patient was discharged from the hospital after four days. Over 90 per cent aneurysm cases are treated with minimally invasive procedure and in 80 per cent of people it is asymptomatic. Smoking and high blood pressure are some of the common causes for aneurysm, the doctor added. Dr Preetha Reddy, vice-chairperson of Apollo Hospitals, also spoke at the event.
Ballooning of the blood vessel in the brain
Veerapandian was diagnosed with giant aneurysm (ballooning of the blood vessel in the brain). “The aneurysm was unusual in location, large in size and was in the branch point of a blood vessel. It was behind the left eye. It was large, so would have burst at anytime. Then it could have been fatal,” said Dr Srinivasan Paramasivam, head of Neuroendovascular Surgery at Apollo Hospitals