SUMUM: African patient undergoes successful endoscopic surgery

Bhubaneswar: Surgeons at the SUM Ultimate Medicare (SUMUM)  here successfully conducted endoscopic surgery on an elderly African national recently demonstrating the hospital’s potential for expanding medical tourism.

Joseph Youmsi, an 80-year-old former Judge of the Supreme Court of Cameroon, was suffering from severe headache and nasal obstruction, symptoms of a sinus disease which required surgery.

The ailment was further diagnosed through imaging and an endoscopic nasal surgery was conducted by Dr. Radhamadhab Sahu, Senior Consultant and Head of ENT and Skull Base Surgery at the hospital. The patient had recovered well and was discharged on Wednesday.

Nasal blockage, nasal congestion, breathing trouble, sleeping trouble, snoring and inability to breathe during exertion and headache are symptoms of nasal obstruction which could be managed medically but in certain cases surgery is required to provide relief to the patient, Dr. Sahu said.

A functional endoscopic sinus surgery, correction of deviated septum and minor reduction of turbinates corrects the problem in patients suffering from chronic sinus diseases, he said.

Describing it as a routinely conducted procedure, Dr. Sahu said it had to be done with care considering the advanced age of the African judge.

Several international patients and NRIs from different countries have come to his department in SUMUM for treatment in the recent past, he said adding excellent surgical outcome, reduced cost and availability of latest medical tehnology had been attracting foreign patients to the hospital.