Patient Stories

Mrs Rannavare was suffering from headache and vomiting.

Her brain MRI showed a large tumour in the posterior fossa on the left side of the  midline.

It was attached to the tentorium in the region of the left transverse sinus  and had grown to the size of about five centimeters in diameter. It had pushed the cerebellar (small brain) matter down through the opening at the base of the skull (foramen magnum) and was causing compression of the medulla. This is called the trans-foramen magnum herniation and is a dangerous thing to happen as it can cause coma, respiratory (breathing) problems and eventually result in stopping of the heart.

As the tumour was growing in size, it was necessary to take it out safely before it could do any damage.This tumour was removed by exposing the region via left suboccipital craniectomy and carefully separating it from the small brain (cerebellum).

The tumour type was MENINGIOMA which is a benign (non cancerous) tumour and once completely removed does not come back.

Mr Charpe

Mr Charpe was one of the first patients to be operated on, using the modern neuro-microscope, and his story is unforgettable. He came up to Dr.Panchawagh one afternoon in 2005 and could barely talk. His companion told us that he had severe facial pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia) since the last 10 years that has only worsened over time, and that his misery has made him extremely frustrated. Then Mr. Charpe mumbled something, with saliva drooling from his mouth (because he could not swallow due to pain), and pulled out a bottle of insecticide from his sling-bag! To everyone’s amazement, he said that his life was not worth living and if he wasn’t being offered a permanent solution, he was ready to commit suicide by drinking the insecticide! A Micro-vascular Decompression of the Trigeminal nerve was performed, which gave him complete pain relief. These photos were taken on the third post-operative day. He visits us yearly to express his gratitude. He has gone back to his work and is happy to be pain-free.

Mr Suresh Patil

Mr Suresh Patil aged 35 at time of surgery, is a farmer by occupation and the sole breadwinner of a large family of 6. He developed difficulty in waking and passing urine which progressed over a year and half. He was found to have Tethered Cord. He was operated for detethering of spinal cord and is now back to leading a normal life and earning.

 

Mrs Kaushalyabai Bombatkar

Mrs Kaushalyabai Bombatkar, a housewife, 58years old at time of surgery, husband retired and son working as a daily wage-worker, suffered from severe pain in both legs and cramping, even on walking small distances. She was diagnosed to have Lumbar Canal Stenosis; spinal decompression was done and she is able to walk long distances, pain-free.

 

Mr Vijay Pawar

Mr Vijay Pawar, 25 year old patient staying with his parents, developed diificulty in walking progressively and had neck pain. He was diagnosed to have Atlanto-Axial Dislocation and was operated for C1-C2 fixation. He has complete recovery of his symptoms and is back to a full-time job.