BENGALURU: In a meticulously planned surgery, doctors from Bengaluru were able to save the toe of a 16-year-old who was suffering from a rare bone tumour. The girl, who was recommended a toe amputation by doctors in Kolkata, consulted Manipal Hospital, Hebbal, where the doctors were able to save her toe.
Tejaswi (name changed) checked into Manipal Hospital with a swelling in the second toe of her right foot. She had developed the swelling about two months before visiting the hospital. When she noticed that there was a swelling in the second toe of her right foot, that had not regressed even after a month, she visited a private hospital in Kolkata where she was diagnosed with an aggressive giant cell tumour.
The lesion had grown out of the bone, attacking the adjacent tissues and her doctors suggested surgical amputation of the affected toe. She refused to get an amputation. Intent to save her toe, she approached Dr Ravichandra Kelkar, Consultant – Orthopaedic Surgeon at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru. A PET scan revealed the tumour was confined to the toe. In the surgery which lasted about an hour-and-a-half, the doctor cut open the toe and removed the tumor without disturbing the surrounding tissues.