An “enormous” growth was removed from the back of a man’s head, measuring five inches in total, as it was causing unbearable pain for the patient whenever he touched it
The unnamed patient had been living with the growth for years(Image: City Hospital 5 /east2west news)
A man has had a giant five-inch-long ‘devil’s horn’ removed from the back of his head after living in agony for three years.
The unnamed patient, 30, had been in excruciating pain while living with the unusual growth – to the point that simply going to bed was a major problem. The huge horn was cut out from the man’s head under general anaesthethic, and was immediately sent away to test for cancer, while the patient recovered at home living with a new sense of freedom. Vascular surgeon, Ruzil Khurmatullin, removed the corneal keratoma growth under general anaesthetic.
He said: “During the initial examination, the patient shared that the tumour began to grow on his head in 2022.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info
Surgeons removed the growth under general anaesthetic(Image: City Hospital 5 /east2west news)
“At first, it did not bother him, but as it grew in size, pain began to appear. He experienced severe discomfort when he touched the tumour in his sleep.”
Dr Khurmatullin, from Naberezhnye Chelny in Russia, said it was the first time in his quarter-century as a surgeon that he had performed such an operation.
He completely removed the growth, then scraped out the base and cauterisation to prevent relapse.
A growth to such an “enormous size” is seen as exceptionally rare, especially in a patient who is relatively young. Tests for cancer are being conducted on the removed ‘horn’.
The growth measured five inches in total(Image: City Hospital 5 /east2west news)
Head of the Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation Department Pavel Egorov said: “The operation was performed under general anaesthetic. The difficulty was to fix the man’s head on the side and hold it in this position, while monitoring vital signs, until the end of the operation.
“We successfully coped with this task. The patient quickly came round after the anaesthetic, and recovered well. Now he is at home with his family. The neoplasm has been sent for analysis.”
The horn grew to such a size as a result of abnormally rapid proliferation of skin cells – keratinocytes, which hardened and formed a characteristic horny structure, said reports.
Meanwhile, a little girl had a giant 8lb tumour removed from her stomach last year. It contained various pieces of hair and teeth, and had been growing since she was in the womb.
Sarah Davis, 42, rushed her 12-year-old daughter Ruby-Mae to Centro Medico Cabarete Hospital, Dominican Republic, when she complained of stomach pains. The mum – who had moved from the UK – was concerned her little girl might even be pregnant when doctors examined her ‘bloated’ tummy.
But a scan revealed Ruby-Mae had a rare type of germ cell tumour called a teratoma that can contain teeth, hair, and bone. These tumours are usually discovered at birth, but Ruby-Mae’s had been growing undetected for years. Doctors suspected the tumour had developed when she was in the womb, and luckily, it was non-cancerous.
But it had grown so large, it had caused her appendix to burst which can be life-threatening. Ruby-Mae was rushed for surgery to remove the tumour that weighed in at 8lb – the same as newborn baby. She recovered well from surgery and Sarah is hoping to raise awareness for other parents.