A TEENAGER who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour following a routine eye test has had his sight saved by a team of surgeons in Southampton.
Student Milo Euling, 16, underwent two operations at University Hospital Southampton to remove the tumour pressing on his optic nerves.
The surgery conducted was pioneered in America and later introduced in Southampton, one of the first places in the UK to offer the procedure, by consultant skull base neurosurgeon Nijaguna Mathad.
'Forever grateful'
The decision was made to perform emergency surgery to try to save Milo’s sight and the first of his two operations happened in November last year.
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The surgical team, led by Aabir Chakraborty, a consultant neurosurgeon at UHS, performed a four-hour operation through the top of Milo’s head, successfully removing the upper half of the tumour.
The former Westgate School pupil needed to have a second operation to remove the remainder of the tumour before it started to grow again – this time through his nose.
The five-hour operation in April 2022 was successfully carried out by Mr Mathad.
Milo’s mum Sally Euling, of Winchester, said: “Milo will be heading to college soon to study photography, so the idea of losing his sight was devastating for so many reasons.
“We really can’t thank Mr Mathad and Mr Chakraborty enough, in fact every single person who has been involved in his care including the amazing staff on G2.
“We are forever grateful for everything they have done for Milo and our family.”
'Willingness to get better'
Milo’s problems began in March 2020 when he started suffering from crippling headaches, but he put it down to the impact of homeschooling during the first lockdown.
A routine eye test during half term revealed that the optic nerves at the back of his eyes were swollen and squashed.
Further tests, including MRI scan, identified a large craniopharyngioma – a rare type of non-cancerous brain tumour that doctors believed had been growing since birth.
Apart from putting pressure on the optic nerves, the cystic part of the tumour had blocked the normal brain fluid circulation, leading to very high pressure inside Milo’s head.
Mr Mathad said: “It was important to try and take as much as the tumour as possible to prevent further complications for Milo.
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“The operation went better than expected and we are hoping that the follow-up scans will show complete removal of the tumour.
“He is very courageous and his willingness to get better has certainly helped his recovery.
“Myself and the whole team involved in his care are very happy with the outcome.”
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