Times of India
07 April 2010
Chennai, India

18–Yr–Old Bangladeshi Gets New Look After 5½–Hour–Long Operation
When 18–year–old Abdul Khadar, a Bangladeshi national, walked into the New Hope Indian Hospital, his face was so swollen that his eyes were literally pushed to the corners of the face. After the operation, doctors have given him a more normal look — and lots of confidence.

The doctors diagnosed him with fibrous dysplasia, a rare disease of the bones. “It’s a birth defect but a non–cancerous disease. There was a tumorous growth under his nose that made his face look disfigured,” said cancer surgeon Dr MP Vishwanathan. “We had to remove the tumour because it would have otherwise affected his vision and even brain function,” he said.

Khadar said he had lived all his life with a disfigured face. “My friends noticed it when I was five. But it became prominent only when I was eight. Doctors back home did not know what they were treating for a long time. I was subjected to several tests. Soon my bones grew extremely fast that it disfigured me badly,” he said.

Khader decided to come to Chennai for treatment as he could not afford treatment in the US or Europe.

A team of doctors at the New Hope hospital mapped the tumour ahead of the surgery and wheeled him in for a five–and–a–half hour operation.

Five specialists, including those from neurosurgery and oncology, removed the 15–cm tumour from his face. The surgery was as rare as the disease.

“We have all read about it but never seen or treated such a case. Now he has stitch lines on the sides of his nose. But he is normal otherwise,” said hospital director Dr R Kothandaraman. After the surgery, he could not breathe through the nose, so doctors did a tracheostomy, drilling holes in this neck to open a direct airway through the windpipe. “He was in ICU for five days but the post–surgical period was uneventful. He recovered well and is now fit for discharge,” Kothandaraman said.

The hospital waived off 50% of the surgery cost for Khader as he could not afford the entire cost.

“We are now confident that he would not have any medical problems,” Kothandaraman said.

And Khader was smiling before the cameras.

“I was scared they would tell me it was cancer and I would require treatment like radiation or chemotherapy after the surgery. Now, they have informed me I don’t even have to consume pills for a long time. Finally, I am as normal as anyone else,” he said.

Getting A New Face
Experts at New Hope Indian Hospital say youth would not face more problems

• 18–year–old Abdul Khadar, a Bangladeshi, was diagnosed with a rare bone disease, fibrous dysplasia
• The swelling due to the tumour on the paranasal sinus was so large that his jaws looked swollen and his eyes were pushed to side of his face
• Doctors did a 5½ hour surgery to remove the tumour. The surgery gave Khadar a new look