A significant medical achievement unfolded at a regional hospital when a long-standing ear tumor was removed from an elderly patient. The news came from the regional government’s press service, which reported the event as a landmark in local healthcare.
The patient, a 76-year-old resident of Kaliningrad, arrived at the hospital with severe ear pain and facial weakness on the left side. For more than six decades, she had endured persistent ear discomfort and recurrent discharge. In 1962 she underwent ear surgery for otitis media, after which a benign growth known as a cholesteatoma began to develop and gradually expanded over the years.
Medical officials noted that the cholesteatoma had progressively eroded the surrounding bone and was pressing against the dura mater, posing a serious risk if left untreated. The condition also compromised the facial nerve, resulting in paralysis on the left side of the face. This combination of bone destruction and nerve involvement created a complex surgical challenge that required careful planning and precise execution, as explained by Andrei Samko, head of the otolaryngology department. (Press service of the regional government)
The operation lasted more than three hours and culminated in the successful removal of the tumor. Following an extended rehabilitation period, the patient was discharged and placed under outpatient care, continuing follow-up with an otolaryngologist to monitor recovery and prevent recurrence. (Press service of the regional government)
In a separate note, it was mentioned that a child in the Moscow region had previously undergone surgery for a tumor that extended across a large portion of the abdomen, illustrating the variety of complex cases handled by the medical teams in the region. (Press service of the regional government)