Click on the image to see the gallery
It is a benign nasopharyngeal tumor, although very aggressive and invasive that causes nosebleeds and can cause death. Garrahan is one of the few public pediatric centers that operate on these serious tumors. An interdisciplinary team made up of neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists was in charge of the intervention.
A team from the Garrahan Hospital successfully performed surgery on a 13-year-old adolescent that consisted of the resection of a benign, non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tumor. It is a type of very aggressive tumor formation that grows in the back of the nose, invading the paranasal sinuses, the eye socket and the base of the skull.
These types of tumors, which appear almost exclusively in adolescent boys, cause severe nosebleeds, difficulty breathing through the nose, otitis, and vision and speech problems if they grow very large. In some cases, they can cause death.
Tumors are classified according to grade, on a scale of 1 to 4, with the last being the most complex. Garrahan is one of the few public pediatric centers that operate on these serious tumors. He has carried out more than 80 operations. In this case, a grade 4 tumor was completely removed in a surgery that lasted approximately 10 hours. This is possible thanks to a sustained policy of investment and training of doctors.
“A total resection of the tumor was possible and the patient is progressing favorably with a good prognosis,” indicated the coordinator of the Surgical Center, Dr. Javier González Ramos, and highlighted the vast experience of the interdisciplinary team made up of the Otorhinolaryngology, Plastic and Neurosurgery services that, “in recent years, has been improving techniques and surgical times for juvenile nasopharyngeal fibroangiomas.”
The team, made up of three neurosurgeons, three plastic surgeons, two otorhinolaryngologists, four instrument technicians and three anesthetists, performed a transcranial and transfacial approach in order to detach the tumor from the base of the skull and remove it transfacially.
Fibroangioma of cavum, also known as juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA), is a highly vascularized non-cancerous tumor that originates in the back of the nose (cavum), mainly in male adolescents, causing severe nosebleeds and nasal obstruction. Although it is benign, it develops and grows aggressively, invading nearby bones and structures, requiring surgical treatment.
These types of interventions would not be possible without highly trained personnel or a sustained investment policy. With order and efficiency, Garrahan Hospital continues to strengthen its capabilities, incorporating technology and improving its processes, with the aim of providing better care to its patients every day.
