198 Pound Tumor

Vietnamese man's 198-pound tumor removed

(CNN) -- A Vietnamese man is recovering in the intensive care unit Friday, a day after surgery that completely removed a 198-pound (90-kg) tumor from his right leg, according to the hospital.

The 12-hour procedure, performed at FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, had been considered risky with a 50% success rate because of the amount of blood vessels around the tumor.The tumor was first discovered when the patient, Nguyen Duy Hai, 31, of Da Lat City, was four years old, according to FV Hospital. He had undergone a surgery to remove it in 1997, but in 2001, the tumor grew, and no doctors agreed to operate on him, the hospital said.

The growing tumor had rendered Hai virtually immobile until his surgery.

The latest surgery, which required Hai's torso to be elevated, was performed by a team of surgeons from FV Hospital and led by Dr. McKay McKinnon, a specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery from Chicago.

McKinnon has been credited with removing a 200-pound tumor from a woman in the U.S. state of Michigan in 2000 as well as a 176-pound (80 kilo) tumor from a Romanian woman in 2004.

Doctors expect that Hai's cardiac and pulmonary functions will return to normal over the next 10 days.

The hospital had set up a live video feed of the surgery for other doctors and hospitals to watch.

The cost of the surgery was estimated at $20,000, but the hospital said it will charge 60% of the cost, which will be covered jointly by the Red Cross of Da Lat City and sponsors.

The hospital said it is financing all the traveling costs and accommodation for Dr. McKinnon, who is performing the surgery free of charge. 303-pound tumor removed

Source:http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/06/health/vietnam-tumor/index.html