Large tumour removed from brain of two-year-old boy
Julian makes a recovery after Zulekha Hospital surgeons excise tumour in over 12-hour surgery
Italian toddler Julian’s parents were worried when he was unable to walk properly, developed a squint and had a head that was too large for his age.
They took the two-year-old to Zulekha Hospital, Dubai, where an MRI scan revealed a large tumour in the boy’s brain. Dr Salim Kanaan, consultant neurological surgery at Zulekha Hospital who reviewed the MRI report, said the tumour had likely been growing slowly over the last two years — since Julian was born.
Julian was unable to walk properly for at least a year as compression in his cerebellum resulted in ‘gait ataxia’ — a term to describe uncoordinated walking. A buildup of fluid in the hydrocephalus also caused the circumference to be disproportionate to the size of his body.
Julian had also developed a recurrent squint and repeatedly choked while drinking fluids as a result of the compression on his brain stem and corresponding cranial nerves. ■
He also developed symptoms of delayed reactions and a slurred speech.
“Unfortunately, there is no known cause for these kinds of tumours at such a young age, although there is ongoing research of the level of mutations in enzymes that control gene activities and cell division,” Dr Kanaan said.
Julian had to go through a nearly 12-hour surgery during which Dr Kanaan resected the tumour totally through a sub-occipital craniectomy. He was assisted by Dr Rajesh Kumar, Zulekha Hospital neurosurgery specialist. The tumour was extracted successfully, without damaging asurrounding tissue and resolving hydrocephalus issue.
Since the operation, Julian’s symptoms have been noticeably fading. “The tumour was completely removed and a follow-up MRI scan will confirm if there is a small residual tumour tissue retained, and if so, a second surgery may need to be performed, as this type of tumour in unresponsive to radiation or chemotherapy,” Dr Kanaan said. “The first MRI scan will be done within two months of the surgery and will be continually monitored over five years.”
He pointed out that cerebellar tumours are the most common in children. the