Nghe An Friendship General Hospital performed microsurgery to remove a 'giant' spinal cord tumor nearly 10cm in size.
Just one week after welcoming her newborn baby, the happiness of young mother HL (22 years old) suddenly became fragile and threatened to crumble. HL's legs gradually weakened and she lost sensation...
Ms. HL was admitted to Nghe An Friendship General Hospital with severe back pain, numbness and weakness in both legs, making her unable to stand or carry her child. According to Ms. HL, initially, she and her family thought these were common postpartum aches and pains. However, the condition progressed very rapidly, causing Ms. HL to panic...
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At Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, doctors performed an MRI scan on Ms. HL and held a thorough consultation. The results showed that Ms. HL had a meningioma tumor measuring 10cm in length, extending from L1 to L3. This tumor was not only large in size but also completely enveloped the spinal cord and the cauda equina nerve roots – the part that controls movement and sensation in the entire lower limb.
Treating Ms. HL presented the doctors with an enormous challenge: the patient had just given birth a week prior, her body was still weak, and the risk of blood loss and infection was high. Furthermore, the nearly 10cm tumor had compressed the spinal cord, flattening it and invading the blood vessels supplying it. Even a small mistake during the surgical procedure could lead to lifelong paralysis.
Doctors at Nghe An Friendship General Hospital decided to perform microsurgery with the assistance of a modern microscope with many times the magnification, helping surgeons separate the tumor from the spinal cord with extreme precision without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues.
The surgery for patient HL lasted many hours. Every millimeter of the tumor was meticulously dissected away from the delicate nerve roots. Thanks to the skill of the surgical team and microsurgical technology, the "giant" tumor was completely removed without causing further damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots.
Four days after the microsurgery, patient HL felt warmth and sensation in her toes. She was able to stand up and walk around gently in her hospital room – something that had seemed hopeless just days before. Now, instead of being in a wheelchair, HL is taking her first steps, hoping to soon return to her family and continue her unfinished journey of motherhood. Tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks.
Spinal cord tumors often develop silently. In pregnant women, hormonal changes and pressure on the back can sometimes cause symptoms to flare up more quickly.
Dr. Hoang Kim Tuan – Head of the Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery Department, Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, said: "Early detection and microsurgical intervention are the golden keys to saving motor function. Ms. HL's case is a testament to the progress of modern medicine, which has given patients with complex tumors a chance to return to normal life."
