Monday 4 June 2012

Doctors use CEMENT to repair man's chest after tumour op

A man who had a rare melon-sized tumour removed from his ribs has had his chest rebuilt with concrete.
Three surgeons spent six hours getting the 1.5kg cancerous growth out of Marek Barden, 40.
They also removed six
ribs, the lining of his left lung and part of his diaphragm.
The medics then replaced his ribs with a 25cm square acrylic cement panel and used muscle from his shoulder to repair the diaphragm.
The church worker, of Knowle, Bristol, noticed a lump in his side about a year ago but ignored it thinking it was from a cycling accident.
But a scan last August revealed a rare chondrasarcoma cancerous tumour - and doctors gave him just six months to live without treatment.


Plastic surgeon Paul Wilson, who helped perform the operation five weeks later, said Marek's tumour was one of the largest his team had ever seen.
He spent six days in intensive care before being discharged from hospital and amazingly did not need any further treatment.
He said: I consider myself the bionic man because of my concrete panel.
"I went into hospital prepared to die, but I'm a fighter and I'm stubborn.
"I can feel it and the little lumps and bumps on it. I don't have sensation on that part of my body at all but I have got used to that now.
"I was extremely lucky."

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