Doctors at a city hospital in Delhi removed a cyst from the left abdomen of a 28-year-old man which was around one and a half times bigger than the size of a tennis ball. For quite some time, Majid Nazir was suffering from symptoms such as persistent pain in his left leg and could not even walk for more than a few metres without strain. An MRI scan revealed an unidentified pelvic mass which made the doctors suspicious too and was the reason behind the apparent leg pain.

The cyst had replaced his artery function and led to a decreased blood flow which gave him persistent pain in his left leg and he could not walk for more than a few metres, the doctors at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, where the patient was treated, said. After the MRi scan revealed the unidentified pelvic mass, Majid was referred to the oncology department. A further CT scan and angiography revealed a big cystic mass (fluid-filled) of 10 cm by 8 cm in his left abdomen.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Mittal, senior consultant at the hospital said the cyst had been growing undetected in the patient’s body for nearly six years and was full of multiple daughter cysts. The daughter cysts were removed from inside the iliac artery that supplies blood to the lower limbs by a multi-disciplinary team of oncologists and cardiologists. Further, an artificial vessel was created through a vascular graft to replace the iliac artery and re-establish circulation between the aorta and left femoral artery in the thigh.

“This ensured that regular supply of blood is maintained to the patient’s limb, saving him from a potential loss of the left leg. Regular follow-ups ensured that the chances of recurrence are minimised,” said Dr Rudra Prasad Acharya, associate director and head of GI surgical oncology at the hospital. “When we began operating on Nazir, we realised that the cyst had grown into the lumen of the artery putting the patient at grave risk of extensive blockages. But we managed to save him,” he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 12, 2018 05:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).