Doctors at a Delhi hospital managed to save the life of a 21-year-old boy, who had a 10 cm large parapharyngeal space tumor, by carrying out robot-assisted trans-oral surgery to remove the tumor.

The tumour was detected in the deep tissues of the neck, nerves, lymph nodes, and parts of the salivary gland.

Prince Kumar, the patient, was having complaints of dysphagia and dyspnea (difficulty in swallowing and breathing) and muffled speech.

 With his condition deteriorating, the boy was referred to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, November 18, 2022.

Robot-assisted surgery helps provide a better view of the tumour around it and uses more-precise movements in tiny spaces of the mouth. It also prevents excessive blood loss and nerve damage. No external cuts are given.  The other option is the conventional surgery that requires an external cut on the neck.

Dr Kalpana Nagpal, Senior Consultant and Robotic Surgeon, ENT Head and Neck Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said, “Prince was facing difficulty in swallowing and breathing. The patient underwent robot-assisted Trans – Oral surgery to remove a very large parapharyngeal space tumors from the side of the throat. Prince was provided awake- anaesthesia using a fibre optic laryngoscope as given conventional general anaesthesia by nose or throat without a tracheostomy was nearly impossible.”

“Additionally, it was difficult to deliver such a large tumour without any external cuts. Prince underwent surgery on 19th November 2022 and it was performed under 3D vision with ten times the magnification using the new Xi Da Vinci. The tumour was removed in two parts. This was managed without a tracheostomy and a feeding tube,” Dr Nagpal added.

Both anaesthesia and Trans Oral removal was a challenge. He was discharged in less than 24 hours on November 21, 2022, in a stable condition.