Dubai: Doctors in Sharjah have removed a 60 gram tumour from the nasal cavity of a nine-year-old Emirati boy after he was rushed to the Emergency with a bleeding nose.
The boy Ibrahim Abdulla Mohammed Al Awadi had been suffering from severe nasal congestion and bleeding for a month before he was referred to the Medcare Hospital Sharjah.
Investigations, which included a CT scan and MRI, revealed that it was a case of Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA).
What is JNA?
Dr. Janakiram T N, Specialist ENT, told Gulf News, “JNA is very rare and peculiar kind of tumour that usually occurs in young men and adolescents aged between 10 and 18. They can be locally very aggressive with patients presenting nasal blocks and bleeding as symptoms.”
Dr Janakiram, who claims to have done over 520 JNA surgeries in India and the UAE, said his services were specially roped in because of his vast experience in the field. An authority on the subject, he has many publications to his credit and has done over 520 JNA surgeries in India and the UAE so far.
He said, “In Ibrahim’s case, the tumour was going to the brain and the left eye, compressing the optic nerve. Had there been any delay in addressing the problem, the boy could have lost his vision.”
A skull base surgery expert, Dr. Janakiram conducted an endoscopic procedure on Ibrahim along with Dr. Saied Alhabash, Consultant Otolaryngology and Dr. Lekha Kapoor, Specialist ENT. He said, “We removed the tumour through a small port surgery which took nearly five hours. But the mass was completely removed with no trace left. The boy is doing just fine now.”
Ibrahim’s father Abdulla Al Awadi said, “Our gratitude knows no bounds for the medical team that gave our child a second chance at life. They used an innovative approach which we are thankful for. Ibrahim’s condition is significantly better now.”
Dr. Janakiram said parents should be vigilant whn young boys present with nasal blocks or bleeding as it could be a sign of a skull-based tumour. He said skull-based tumours could either be on the side of the nose or on the side of the brain. “If they are on the side of the brain, symptoms include nasal discharge, loss of smell, bulging eyes, swelling in the forehead and cheeks and loosened teeth. If the tumour is on the side of the brain, the child may complain of severe headache and diminishing vision. In extreme cases, the patient may also suffer fits and could go into a coma.”
