Army hospital introduces novel procedure to treat eye cancer
Jul 19, 2021
New Delhi [India], July 19 : The Ministry of Defence on Monday informed that Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi has introduced a novel procedure to treat eye cancer.
As per the official release by the ministry today, it informed that the Army Hospital Research and Referral achieved a major milestone on July 9, 2021 when for the first time in the history of Armed Forces hospitals, a team of ophthalmologists and ocular oncologists led by Col SK Mishra, Lieutenant Col Sonali Vinay Kumar, Lieutenant Col Ashok Kumar and Dr Manoj Semwal performed a successful procedure of Plaque Brachytherapy on the eye of a four-year-old child.
The child had already lost his left eye due to cancer and was on the verge of losing his vision completely. The surgery was performed using localised radiation therapy where an indigenous Ruthenium 106 plaque, procured from Bhabha Atomic Research center (BARC), was inserted and used to perform a minimally invasive surgery, without causing damage to the surrounding tissue.
The main aim of treatment for ocular tumours, in order of priority, is to save the life of the patient, salvage eye and preserve maximum vision. Army Hospital Research and Referral has become the first Armed Forces hospital to perform this procedure successfully.
