NAGPUR: A 26-year-old woman suffering from an extremely rare ailment was successfully treated by Uro-Oncologist Dr Uday Chandankhede at Wockhardt Hospital. Interestingly, the woman underwent many types of investigations and even two failed surgical attempts in the last 2 years because doctors did not even suspect that she could have paraganglioma \u2014 a rare type of tumor \u2014 near her urinary bladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Chandankhede said his special training in diagnosing and treating cancers of the urinary tract came in handy here and he could diagnose this tumour which happens to 2 out of 10 lakh people in the world. The tumour was removed surgically and the woman is now living a completely normal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInitially, her MRI and CT scan were suggestive of a mass lesion (abnormal tissue) located in her bladder. She had minimally invasive surgery to remove this mass but at the time of surgery, the mass was not seen in the bladder,\u201d Dr Chandankhede said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter studying her case, I was sure that it was not a case of urinary tract infection but something related to the hormones. When the patient said that she experiences a kind of giddiness, palpitation after passing urine, I suspected that it could be a paraganglioma,\u201d Dr Chandankhede said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paraganglioma is a rare kind of tumour. It has cells that commonly secrete hormones known as catecholamines, including adrenaline, which is the fight-or-flight hormone. This can cause episodes of high blood pressure, a rapid heartbeat, sweating, headache and tremors. A specific blood test called plasma-free nor-metanephrines proved this diagnosis correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn this case, the paraganglioma was at one of the extremely rare locations in between her urinary bladder and track. While urinating, it used to get active and secrete hormones. As a result, her blood pressure which used to be normal at 110\/70 before passing urine used to shoot up to 180\/110 afterwards,\u201d said Dr Chandankhede. Finally, he decided to remove the tumour surgically by open surgery as the tumour was not visible in minimally invasive options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The woman underwent a successful surgery of the mass excision and was kept in ICU for blood pressure monitoring. She was discharged in stable condition with normal blood pressure. \u201cThese tumours are non-cancerous. The woman is leading a normal life and she can also plan pregnancy now,\u201d said Dr Chandankhede.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family members of the patient said that they were suffering from tremendous mental stress for the last two years and they had prepared to remove the uterus also to get rid of this pain. Her husband said that she has received a new lease of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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