A team headed by Dr. Girish L. Bhalerao, Consultant Orthopaedic Joint Replaement (Arthroplasty), Sports Medicine (Arthroscopy) & Spine Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, and Dr. Ashwin Borkar, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, successfully removed a 40-year-old man’s spinal cord tumor with utmost surgical skill and under a high-precision microscope. The patient from Mumbai presented with symptoms such as back pain that had been troubling him for many months. His job profile involved a lot of desktop sitting and working on a laptop due to the work-from-home nature of his job during the lockdown, which added to his misery. Now, the patient has recovered completely and can independently perform all activities of daily living within 24 hours with ease.
Life was smooth until Bhupesh Ankolekar, a 40-year-old resident of Mumbai and an IT engineer by profession, encountered back pain a few months ago. Due to his erratic schedule, Bhupesh treated it as ordinary pain and neglected it. Slowly, he found it difficult to carry out his daily activities. His pain worsened during the pandemic when the entire country was under lockdown due to the coronavirus. The patient visited Dr. Girish L. Bhalerao at Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, on an OPD basis in the first week of May for what he assumed was a simple backache.
After taking a proper medical history and conducting a thorough physical and clinical examination, the patient was asked to get an X-ray of his spine. His symptoms were on and off, and the clinical signs were not consistent. Hence, he was initially treated like any normal case of mechanical backache. To his dismay, after 10 days, Bhupesh’s symptoms continued to follow a pattern of waxing and waning, and he found no relief. This response triggered high suspicion from Dr. Girish Bhalerao, who then advised the patient to undergo an MRI. The scan revealed a large multi-level intradural homogeneous tumor, measuring 3.5 x 1.8 x 1.8 cm, within the spinal cord, spanning its entire extent and causing severe compression of the nerve roots in the proximal lumbar region.
Bhupesh, a recent father to a one-month-old child, with his wife resting at home after a cesarean section, was taken aback by the diagnosis. He was also worried about his elderly parents, who were at risk of acquiring fever and viral infections during the pandemic, making it difficult for any family members to accompany him during hospitalization. However, after considering all options and receiving counseling from Dr. Bhalerao, he underwent successful tumor excision surgery at Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road. The tumor was removed with utmost surgical skill and under a high-precision microscope.
“The tumor was inside the dural coats of the spinal cord and was in close proximity to the nerve roots of the Cauda Equina, with an impending syndrome of signs and symptoms. The patient was informed about the risks related to nerve root damage due to the nature of the tumor. This long surgery required a specialized operation theatre with advanced logistic facilities, such as a high-precision microscope, to increase the success rate of the surgical outcome,” said Dr. Girish L. Bhalerao, Super Specialty Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road.
“Pandemic or no pandemic, specialized surgeries requiring exquisite hospital logistic support are always needed for early, prompt intervention to deliver successful, life-saving results,” Dr. Bhalerao added.
Dr. Ashwin Borkar, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, added, “The excised tumor was encapsulated and pedunculated, exerting mechanical pressure on the nerve roots. The tumor was removed entirely, in toto, with no remnants. The surgery took four hours to complete.” Post-surgery, the patient started recovering with no pain and was able to resume his daily activities within 24 hours. He was discharged after three days of post-operative care and rehabilitation. Within 24 hours, the patient had recovered completely and could independently perform all activities of daily living.
“My parents and wife were shocked after the diagnosis. Not only me, but the entire family was terrified when they heard about spine surgery, especially after concerns raised by my friends and relatives. We were afraid of complications, particularly the risk of sensory-motor function loss or even life-threatening consequences. We are grateful to the hospital, doctors, and nurses who took care of me, not just during my hospital stay but also during post-op follow-ups. Dr. Girish Bhalerao’s approach was very comforting and gave us confidence. He is a highly skilled and talented surgeon, yet exceptionally humble, answering all doubts—no matter how silly—with great patience. He makes his patients feel like family and continues to provide care even during post-op follow-ups with great dedication. Such doctors are rare to find, and I am indebted to him for my life,” conveyed Mr. Bhupesh with delight.
