Doctors Perform 19-Hour Surgery to Remove Spinal Tumor via Eye Socket

Maryland teenager Karla Flores, then 19, learned everything about driving in the year 2023, and her vision doubled. She dismissed it as nothing, simply informing her that this was an eye problem. However, further examinations determined something far more critical: a rare, malignant growth called chordoma pushing at her left eye from behind.

Doctors diagnosed it as chordoma-slow-growing-the most lethal cancer that forms in either the spinal cord or the base skull. Not only did the tumor impair her vision, but it also began to grow alarmingly close to the cervical spine, posing risks to her mobility and life.

A Groundbreaking Approach to a Complex Problem

Karla has been referred to Dr. Muhammad A. M. Labib at the University of Maryland Medical Center for surgery in April 2024. The first of the surgeries included the removal of part of her skull to remove most of the tumor. But doctors then discovered another tumor close to her spine, accessible by traditional surgical approaches without undue danger.

That's when Dr. Labib thought up an entirely new way a tumor could access through the eye socket, a route previously only discussed in academic journals. Conventional methods through the neck, mouth, or nostrils either did not allow sufficient access or carried great risks of infection and nerve damage.

Nearly 19 Hours of Precision Surgery

The surgical team, led by facial reconstruction specialist Dr.Kalpesh Vakharia, spent weeks rehearsing and planning on a cadaver before attempting the surgery. On May 1, 2024, the team conducted the almost 19-hour procedure, skillfully maneuvering the area beneath Karla's eye to access and remove the spinal tumor, all without harming the delicate structures surrounding the eye or spinal cord.

A Promising Recovery and Clear Scan

Following surgery, Karla received proton therapy to kill any lingering cancer cells. She continues to wear a neck brace and manages some discomfort, but her latest scans indicate no cancer. Physicians are hopeful for her prognosis.

Karla is now concentrating on recovery and getting her life back, with the hope of returning to her desired career as a professional manicurist.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)