Giant-sized cyst, weighing 250 gm, removed from Haryana woman’s brain

Brain infections due to worms or other parasites are more common in developing countries and rural areas.

In a four-hour-long surgery, doctors at a city hospital successfully removed a cyst weighing 250gm that had taken the shape of an egg, from inside the brain of a woman.

The surgery was performed on Shanti Devi, a resident of Ballabhgarh, Haryana, at Faridabad-situated Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS).

The 41-year-old woman landed up at the hospital with complains of severe headache and weakness on the right side of her body.

She was unable to stand or walk without support. Doctors advised an MRI scan of her head and she was diagnosed with a large hollow stone like cyst inside her brain. It had taken the shape of an egg that had a hard external structure, say doctors, and call it ‘an extremely challenging surgery’.

“It was a challenging surgery as we had to remove this egg shaped cyst completely and in one piece, without causing any damage to the brain. It was about 250gms in weight and measured 8cm X 8cm in size,” said Dr Kamal Verma, director, department of neurosurgery,AIMS.

It was a high-risk surgery as the cyst was on the left side of the frontal brain that controls our speech and movement.

The laboratory tests confirmed it to be benign.

“We tested the foreign matter and discovered it was caused by some parasite. Such parasites in the brain are known to cause soft balloon like cysts in some patients, but this type of hard structure and size has never been reported in medical literature,” said Dr Mukesh Panday, senior consultant, neurosurgeon, AIMS.

Another challenge for the surgeons in removing this cyst was to ensure it did not burst, as it contained thousands of parasites and toxic fluids, which if had leaked out into the brain, could have caused severe reactions or run the risk of forming more cysts that could have killed the patient eventually.

Shanti Devi is recovering well post surgery, and now carries out her daily chores smoothly. Her speech has also improved. “I cannot thank the doctors enough for giving me a new lease of life,” she said.