Vietnamese patient conscious day after removal of 90-kilogram tumour

Jan 6, 2012, 10:24 GMT

Hanoi - A man who had a 90-kilogram tumour removed the day before in a grueling day-long surgery regained consciousness Friday, his family said.

It took more than 10 hours for plastic surgeon McKay McKinnon and six Vietnamese doctors to remove the growth from Nguyen Duy Hai's leg at French-Vietnam (FV) Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

'He has regained his consciousness, at 0900 GMT Friday,' said Hai's brother, Nguyen Duy Sang. 'He is in the recovery room now and still very weak. He cannot talk, but he has recognized me and nodded his head when I asked him,' said Sang.

McKinnon said the tumour was so large it could easily have threatened Hai's life. The patient will need special care for many weeks, plus physical therapy to resume normal functions.

The metre-wide tumour had been growing on the 32-year-old man's right leg for more than 30 years, despite an amputation at the knee 14 years ago. It has grown 10 centimetres in diameter over the past month and from 80 to more than 90 kilogrammes, doctors said.

The growth has twisted Hai's spine and pelvis and caused problems with his breathing and circulation.

McKinnon has conducted several operations to remove large tumours, which have received widespread media coverage in recent years.