Indian surgeons save 7-year-old suffering from Congenital Nasal Meningoencephalocele

A team of surgeons at Kohinoor Hospital Mumbai performed minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery through the nasal of a 7-years-old who suffered from Congenital Nasal Meningoencephalocele, using the four hands technique.

Congenital Nasal Meningoencephalocele is a disease caused by a congenital defect in the skull base in the roof of the nose, which allows brain fluid to accumulate in a nasal bag called meningoencephalocele. Bag occasionally ruptures and brain fluid flows through the nose. It poses a risk of contracting brain infections.

A team of doctors led by Dr. Sanjay Helal, ENT Surgeon, gave a new lease of life to a 7-year-old girl. The surgery was performed by two doctors at the same time.

The 7 yrs old patient from Nashik used to have continuous running nose since her birth. Considering this as a normal cold symptom in a child, parent neglected initially. Later she was taken to a nearby doctor and was diagnosed with a rare medical condition Meningo Encephalocele, which was a result of birth defect in her brain for which they approached Dr. Sanjay Helale, ENT Surgeon at Kohinoor Hospital, Mumbai.

Dr. Sanjay Helal, ENT Surgeon, Kohinoor Hospital informed Medical Dialogues that “Patient came with the diagnosis of rare medical condition Meningo Encephalocele, we suggested endoscopic skull base surgery for Akanksha almost 6 years back, when she was 1 ½; but due to some family needs her parents could not take her surgery on priority even so badly they wanted to. However, recently after 6 years, they brought Akanksha to Kohinoor Hospital and consulted again.”

Explaining the situation further Dr. Helal added “After taking the consent of parents we decided to operate her through the nose with the help of endoscope using four hands technique, where two surgeons operate the patient same time. Her brain fluid was running straight through the nose because one vital skin portion to block the fluid was missing in her brain. We used her leg skin to replace this portion and planted it successfully. Apart from being a complicated surgery, the real challenge was to operate through 7 yrs old’s tiny nasal area, and also putting her on anesthesia for 4 hours.”