Unique Surgery for Tumor Removal in an Infant

In Israel, a premature girl with a large tumor was successfully operated on.

Israeli doctors once again confirmed their highest skill and ability to perform complex surgeries. It seems fantastic: the newborn weighed only two kilograms, while the tumor weighed one kilogram. With such a pathology, the chances of survival for the child were almost nonexistent. However, a unique, highly complex surgery performed by Israeli doctors saved the girl's life.

Dangerous Pathology

The future parents learned about the pathology of their unborn child during a routine ultrasound examination. A very rare type of malignant tumor—a teratoma—was discovered in the fetus. These neoplasms develop in the mother's womb and are considered very dangerous. In the girl, it was so extensive that it affected the head, neck, and chest. The tumor's tissues were nourished by the carotid artery, which supplies blood to the head. The case was very serious; the doctors warned the future parents that the girl could die in the womb or would die as soon as she was born. After conducting additional studies, the doctors determined that it was unlikely the baby would be able to take her first breath: most likely, by the time of delivery, the tumor's tissues would obstruct the airways.

The future parents were explained the danger of the situation, but the couple wished, despite everything, to give the child a chance to be born. And the Israeli doctors began preparing for the most complex surgery.

Unique Surgery

The doctors monitoring the patient and the fetus discovered that the neoplasm was growing very quickly, and there was no time to wait for the moment of delivery. Thus, the medical team decided to perform a cesarean section at the thirty-fourth week of pregnancy: this was the only chance to save the child's life.

The surgeons extracted the child but did not immediately cut the umbilical cord: the infant, due to the tumor, was unable to breathe on her own, and the oxygen flowing through the umbilical cord from the mother's bloodstream was the only way for the child to avoid suffocation. Immediately after extracting the infant from the womb, the surgeons began the complex operation to remove the neoplasm. First, the blood vessels supplying the tumor with blood were clamped, and then, with utmost care, the tumor was separated from the girl's head and neck. The infant was finally able to breathe independently. The operation lasted more than four hours.

It turned out that the child's weight was only twice that of the malignant tumor.

Success of Israeli Doctors

After the surgery, the premature infant was placed in a special incubator. A few days later, the surgeons performed another operation, during which they removed tumor tissues from the chest, esophagus, and trachea. The operation was conducted with minimal blood loss and without damaging healthy tissues. Only after some time, once the child's condition stabilized, the medical team was able to breathe a sigh of relief: the complex surgery, which seemed impossible, was successfully completed. The child is currently recovering.

The father of the infant urged all future moms and dads to always maintain hope and faith, even in the most desperate situations. He expressed his boundless trust and admiration for the Israeli doctors who performed a true miracle.