Kolkata doctors help elderly man regain vision with timely surgery removing large pituitary tumour

Doctors in Kolkata have successfully treated an elderly man helping him regain his vision after a sudden bout of severe headache followed by an inability to open his right eye and rapidly worsening visionThe 70yearold Kolkata resident Rabindranath Das came Manipal Hospital Salt Lake where doctors discovered a large pituitary tumour with internal bleeding a condition known as pituitary apoplexy The bleeding had caused the tumour to expand rapidly putting pressure on the critical nerves responsible for vision and eye movement and turning what initially appeared to be an eye problem into a medical emergencyIn a multidisciplinary intervention Dr Arijit Chakraborty Neurosurgeon and Dr Debayan Tarafdar Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist at the hospital successfully removed the tumour through a minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal approach using a fourhand technique Following the procedure the patient experienced significant relief from his headache while his vision began to improve within just two daysUndergoing treatmentDas came to the emergency department with a sudden severe headache drooping of the right eyelid inability to open the eye severely diminished vision and cardiac symptoms An urgent MRI revealed a large pituitary tumour with internal bleeding confirming pituitary apoplexy a potentially serious condition in which sudden bleeding causes the tumour to expand and compress critical surrounding structuresHe was admitted under Dr Chakraborty and underwent a minimally invasive scarfree endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery using a fourhand technique performed by him and Dr Debayan Tarafdar The tumour was accessed through the nasal passage and sphenoid sinus without any external incision and was successfully removed The painless procedure was completed without complications and the patient recovered within two days of surgery Postsurgery he is recovering well with his headache having subsided and he is gradually getting his vision backSpeaking about the patients recovery Dr Chakraborty expressed ldquoThe most encouraging aspect of this case has been the patients response after surgery His severe headache settled considerably and most importantly his vision has already improved by around 70 per cent within few days We are hopeful that he will continue to regain function over the coming weeks However recovery of the nerves affected by the sudden pressure can take time so continued followup will be important His progress so far has been very positiverdquoCommenting on the multidisciplinary nature of the procedure Dr Tarafdar stated ldquoIn complex skullbase procedures close coordination between the neurosurgical and endoscopic teams is extremely important The fourhand technique allows both specialists to work together and use their respective expertise during the procedure In this case the patients improvement after surgery particularly the early return of vision has been very reassuring While we expect further recovery it is important to remember that the nerves involved had been under significant pressure and may need time to recover fullyrdquoRecalling the experience Das shared ldquoThe sudden headache and the problem with my right eye were very frightening I could not open the eye properly and when I did my vision was fully blurred I was worried about what would happen to my eyesight Before the surgery I was naturally anxious but the doctors explained the situation very calmly and gave me confidence After the operation the headache became much better and I could see a clear improvement in my vision I understand that I still need time to recover fully but the improvement so far has given me a lot of reliefrdquoThe successful management of this case highlights the importance of early recognition prompt imaging timely intervention and multidisciplinary collaboration in patients presenting with pituitary apoplexy The coordinated efforts of neurosurgery and endoscopic skullbase surgery supported by a minimally invasive approach enabled the team to safely address the tumour and relieve the pressure on critical neurological structures contributing to the patients encouraging early recovery