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CMC docs in Vellore bring smile back on Jharkhand girl’s face By Express News Service | Published: 02nd December 2016 01:25 AM | Last Updated: 02nd December 2016 03:12 AM | A+ A A |
VELLORE : Sixteenyearold Pinki Kumari from a remote village in Jharkhand is a relieved and happy
person now. In a first, a team of doctors at the Christian Medical College Hospital has removed a giant tumour weighing around 2.8 kg she was carrying for the past 13 years. The surgery was carried out a couple of weeks back, relieving her of pain and social stigma. The youngest daughter of Sunil Kumar, a tailor, she was born normal. The family took her to a local doctor when she was three years old, after spotting a growth on her left cheek. She underwent surgery first at Ranchi when she was six and later in Patna at the age of 9, when the tumour reemerged. “I did not know what was happening, but attended the school even though friends laughed at my disfigured face,” she recalled. While the family was struggling for a remedy and the tumour grew bigger, they came to CMC two years back. The doctors who examined her gave the family hope that it could be removed. They went back and sought support from the Jharkhand government which they received two months back. They came here last month. Pinki Kumari before and after the surgery | S DINESH
After a biopsy, the tumour was found to be a benign infiltrating lipomatosis which grows on the bone and fat in the jaw. “It is a rare condition and only about 50 cases have been reported all over the world so far,” doctors said. The doctors opted to replace the lower jaw bone that had to be removed along with the tumour grown from it, with an artificial jaw and the temporomandibular joint reconstructed using titanium material to maintain the skeletal structure. A second surgery was also needed for reconstruction of eight teeth, which were removed along with the jaw. Pinki who has recovered fully, is able to eat, speak and sport a normal face. She wants to go to college now to do her BA and later become a beautician.