New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) A 40-year-old man, who had been left debilitated after he developed elephantiasis in his left leg, is on his way to overcoming the condition following a series of surgeries at a private facility here, according to a statement from the hospital.
He can now walk freely and has resumed his daily activities, it said.
The patient had met with a road accident around 10 years ago. He underwent a surgery on the left groin which resulted in disruption of the lymph nodes (lymphatics).
Following this, he began developing Lymphedema or Elephantiasis (excessive swelling) due to the accumulation of excessive fluids.
The patient consulted several doctors in the following years, but his situation worsened. This compromised his ability to walk and undertake daily chores, besides giving him psychological trauma, the statement from Max Healthcare said.
He underwent a procedure that involved microsurgical technique at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj.
After the microsurgery, followed by multiple reduction surgeries and non-surgical means to reduce the swelling, his left leg, which earlier weighed 45 kg, has come down to 25 kg, it said.
The leg had swollen to 120 cm when the patient first came to the hospital. It has reduced to 65 cm, it said.
A normal leg of an adult male ranges from 35 to 40 cm in circumference.
According to the team of doctors led by senior director Dr Manoj Johar and his associate principal consultant Dr. Pradeep K Singh, Deparment of Aesthetic, Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, Lympho-Venous Anastomosis (LVA) is a one-of-its-kind treatment for treating Lymphedema that could be caused due to a trauma. It is common in patients of cancer surgeries or filariasis. The patient can now walk freely and has resumed his daily activities while also undergoing conservative therapy for improvement.
Dr Johar said, “Lymphedema was traditionally treated with debulking, ablative treatments in which the excess volume of fat and fluid was immediately excised or eliminated via liposuction. These methods, on the other hand, are far from physiological and are frequently disfiguring or only provide brief relief. LVA is relatively new and is now considered one of the gold standard therapies for lymphedema.” PTI SLB CJ CJ
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