US-based NRI saved from advanced mucormycosis

Vadodara: Doctors at GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Gotri successfully treated a 61-year-old US-based NRI of Vadodara origin with advanced mucormycosis, preserving his eye, upper jaw and hard palate through a complex endoscopic procedure.Bhupendra Patel was admitted to the hospital's ENT department on Jan 2 with swelling in his left eye and deviation of the mouth towards the right, symptoms he had been experiencing for over a month.
He had earlier sought treatment at private hospitals in the city, where doctors advised removal of the affected eye along with excision of the hard palate and upper jaw due to the aggressive fungal infection.Investigations at GMERS revealed that the infection had spread from the left eye to adjacent facial structures and had also reached the brain.Considering the severity of the case, the ENT team operated within 24 hours of admission, on Jan 3. The surgery, which lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours, was performed entirely through an endoscopic approach.Doctors said the fungal growth was cleared from the left nasal cavity, facial region and hard palate. An endoscopic retro-orbital clearance was carried out without removing the eyeball, and the procedure left no external scars.Dr Anoop Chandnani, medical superintendent and professor and head of anaesthesia at GMERS Gotri, said meticulous anaesthesia management and post-operative ICU care were key to the patient's recovery."His eye, upper jaw and hard palate remain intact without any external scar. This makes it a significant success," he said.The patient was administered high-dose antifungal and antibiotic therapy for 35 days. "When he was admitted, his facial colour had changed due to the infection and he was unable to walk. He has now made a full recovery," Chandnani added.Patel was discharged on Saturday in stable condition, with his blood parameters under control.Chandnani said the case required a multidisciplinary effort involving teams from ENT, anaesthesia, ophthalmology, medicine, physiotherapy, dermatology and surgery, along with super-specialists including neurophysicians, neurosurgeons, nephrologists and urologists.