A Great Medical Case Anyone?--July 2012
You never want to be a "great medical case", but that is exactly what this man is.
On the way to clinic this morning I spotted him sitting on a porch.
He is 26 years old and told me that this mass appeared four years ago and has slowly grown. It is not painful.
I examined him and the mass is rock hard and immobile. He had no other masses in his neck (no lymphadenopathy) and appeared healthy.
Over the last 15 years Haitian Hearts has brought a fair number of cases like this back to the States for surgical removal. My guess is that this man has an ameloblastoma.
Ameloblastomas are usually benign and are found in the lower jaw. They originate form dental cells.
And these tumors respond very well to surgery.
However, it takes a skilled maxillofacial surgeon and team to safely remove this tumor because the airway is so close by and the anatomy is complex.
If anyone has any connections to a medical center and surgeon that may accept this young man for surgery, please let me know.
John A. Carroll, MD
haitianhearts@gmail.com
www.haitianhearts.org
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