A rare condition; a long wait for surgery

After 15 long years of suffering, Bangalore-based IT professional Saurabh Jain finally underwent a marathon surgery lasting six hours. Jain was suffering from cholesteatoma.

“There was a yellow discharge from my right ear. Since I was diagnosed with SMA type III,  a neuromuscular disorder wherein general anaesthesia was a strict no-no for me, I was denied surgery at several hospitals in both Delhi, my native place and Bangalore,” says Jain.

Finally, he got in touch with Dr Kumaresh Krishnamoorthy, a senior ENT consultant at Apollo Hospital, who explained to him the pros and cons of the surgery. “I was also asked to take advice from a neurologist, general physician and gastroenterologist,” he said.

After almost one month of check-ups and follow ups, the 27-year-old was advised to decide between undergoing surgery and living with the disease, aided by medication. “I opted for surgery,” he says.

”Since we were unable to put him on general anaesthesia, he was on put on a laryngeal
mask, as it doesn’t have direct access to the lungs,” says Dr Krishnamoorthy.

“Cortical mastoidectomy was originally planned but when cholesteatoma was later
found to affect my brain line, tympanoplasty with modified radical mastoidectomy was performed,” says Jain.

It is a very delicate surgery as there is only a small gap separating the ear and sigmoid sinus, the vein carrying blood from the brain. A little mistake could have altered the entire anatomy,” says Dr Krishnamoorthy. A team of seven doctors  formed the core operating team for the surgery. Weeks after the successful operation, Jain is healthy and back at work.