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In the small space of the neck, a normal thyroid weighs only about 25 grams.
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Due to the tumor, paralysis had occurred in the left true vocal cord.
The doctors of the ENT Department at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital have achieved a significant milestone. The team successfully performed a total thyroidectomy on a female patient, during which a 1-kilogram thyroid tumor was removed from her neck. The tumor was extremely large in size. The noteworthy aspect is that in a small region like the neck, a normal thyroid weighs only around 25 grams. The Chairman of Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, Shri Mahant Devendra Dass Ji Maharaj, extended his congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Tripti Mamgain, Head of the ENT Department, and her team.
The patient, Mrs. Shabnam (resident of Ramnagar, Nainital), had been suffering for the last six years from severely enlarged thyroid swelling, hyperthyroidism, and left true vocal cord palsy. The excessively enlarged tumor had started compressing the food pipe and windpipe, making the situation critical. Moreover, the swelling exerted pressure on the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralysis of the vocal cord.
This complex surgery was led by Dr. Tripti M. Mamgain, Head of the ENT Department. Her team included Dr. Sharad Harnaut, Dr. Rishabh Dogra, Dr. Fatma Anjum, Dr. Saurabh Nautiyal, and from the Anesthesia Department, Dr. Puneet. The challenging total thyroidectomy lasted four hours. The surgical and anesthesia-related risks were extremely high as the patient was also suffering from hyperthyroidism.
Dr. Tripti Mamgain shared that they used a modified incision technique that allowed the safe removal of the excessively large thyroid gland while protecting crucial structures, especially the recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands. The procedure did not require opening the chest, which makes the achievement even more remarkable. She added that had the tumor not been removed in time, it could have led to life-threatening complications.
After the surgery, the patient said that many hospitals and medical colleges had refused to perform the operation due to its complexity. However, the ENT team at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital not only accepted the challenge but also delivered excellent results. The patient is now healthy and feels as though she has been given “a second life.”