Tuesday, 28 January 2014

World's tallest woman saved from paralysis and going blind after doctors remove huge tumour from her brain

  • Siddiqa Parveen, from West Bengal, India, is estimated to be 7ft 8in
  • The 28-year-old has had life-saving surgery as tumour is removed
  • It is hoped that she will now stop growing and that her sight is safe
Tall order: Gigantism sufferer Siddiqa Parveen, pictured with her parents, from south Dinajpur, West Bengal, is estimated to be 7ft 8in tall as a result of a tumour on the pituary gland
Tall order: Gigantism sufferer Siddiqa Parveen, pictured with her parents, from south Dinajpur, West Bengal, is estimated to be 7ft 8in tall as a result of a tumour on the pituary gland
The world's tallest woman might finally stop growing after doctors removed a tumour from her brain.

Siddiqa Parveen, who is estimated to be 7ft 8in tall, travelled nearly 1,000 miles from her village in West Bengal for doctors in Delhi to save her life.
Before the operation, the 28-year-old had a spine 'on the verge of breaking' and was losing her sight as a result of her continuous growth.
Siddiqa suffered from gigantism brought on by the tumour, which was located on the pituitary gland, causing it to produce excess growth hormone.
She already had fractures in her spine and has been unable to stand up straight for years - and doctors in India believed if left untreated her increasing weight would cause her back to snap.
They also feared the 'massive' tumour would cause her to go blind, forcing them to transport her from her remote village in West Bengal to Delhi.
Neurosurgeon Dr Ashish Suri, of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where Siddiqa was operated on, said the operation had been a success.
‘The tumour had to be taken out through the nose by inserting an endoscope through the nostrils,’ he said.
‘She suffered significant blood-loss during the operation as the tumour was a vascular one. But she coped well.’
Siddiqa's size saw her recently crowned the world's tallest woman by Guinness Book of Records - but it caused significant medical challenges.
Dr Suri said: ‘As her body frame was huge, it required a large operation table for which we had to join additional trolleys.’
Dr PK Bithal, head of neuroanesthesiology told The Indian Express: ‘Our maximum bed size is six feet, both in the operation theatre and ICU, so positioning her appropriately for surgery was a big problem.
‘Her head size was enlarged, which made access of the tumour with our instruments, like endoscopes, extremely difficult.
‘Anaesthetising her would be a problem with her head size, since we did not have endotracheal tubes of her head size, and she had difficulty lying down with the multiple fractures in her spine.’
Doctors have declared the surgery, which took place on January 16, a success. But authorities at the hospital say it is ‘the first of multiple steps in her road to complete recovery’.
Siddiqa, who weighs 285lbs and has enlarged hands and feet, has now been released from the intensive care unit but remains in hospital.
However, her problems are not just physical and doctors say she will need to be treated for a 'psychosocial crisis' - having been isolated for much of her life.
Dr Suri said: ‘She has been confined to her house for the major part of her life. An old teacher from her area is the only one she communicates with.’
It was also revealed that it took doctors weeks to communicate properly with Parveen, who hails from a poor family in south Dinajpur district of West Bengal and speaks only in Bengali.
‘She has been silent for so long, it will take us a long time to ensure her complete recovery,’ said Dr Tandon.
Siddiqa was mentioned in the 2014 Guinness Book of World Records as the new record holder after after the 2012 death of Yao Defen from China who, at 233.3 cm (7 feet 7 inches) was the tallest woman on earth.

Scroll down for more Siddiqa photos
Daddy's big girl: Siddiqa is pictured with her father who still cares for his adult daughter
Daddy's big girl: Siddiqa is pictured with her father who still cares for his adult daughter


Siddiqa, 28, already had fractures on her spine as a result of her heavy body and is hoped she will be able to stand up straight again after the tumour has been removed
Siddiqa, 28, already had fractures on her spine as a result of her heavy body and is hoped she will be able to stand up straight again after the tumour has been removed


Saved: Siddiqa travelled nearly 1,000 miles to undergo the life-saving operation in Delhi where the tumour was removed
Saved: Siddiqa travelled nearly 1,000 miles to undergo the life-saving operation in Delhi where the tumour was removed


Condition improving: Staff at the Delhi hospital where Siddiqa is recovering have had to lengthen her bed with trolley
Condition improving: Staff at the Delhi hospital where Siddiqa is recovering have had to lengthen her bed with trolley


Going the distance: Siddiqa is in a stable condition following the operation
Going the distance: Siddiqa is in a stable condition following the operation


Doctor Ashish Suri, who did the surgery to remove the brain tumour from the world's tallest girl, seen during a press conference at the AIIMS hospital today
Doctor Ashish Suri, who did the surgery to remove the brain tumour from the world's tallest girl, seen during a press conference at the AIIMS hospital today


Hard to fit: Siddiqa Parveen, seen recovering after the successful operation which removed her tumour
Hard to fit: Siddiqa Parveen, seen recovering after the successful operation which removed her tumour


Tall tale: The 28-year-old's condition has seen her hands and feet grow abnormally large, seen here compared to her father
Tall tale: The 28-year-old's condition has seen her hands and feet grow abnormally large, seen here compared to her father


Coming back: Doctor's say that Siddiqa also needs psychological rehab to learn to integrate with others in her village now that the tumour is gone
Coming back: Doctor's say that Siddiqa also needs psychological rehab to learn to integrate with others in her village now that the tumour is gone


Source : Dailymail

0 maoni: