RIMS doctors give cancer patient new life
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 19: In a remarkable demonstration of medical expertise and compassion, doctors at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, have successfully performed a complex and life-altering surgery on a 46-year-old woman from Imphal West district, diagnosed with advanced oral tongue cancer.
Ibempishak (name changed for confidentiality), hailing from a modest background, had initially relied on traditional remedies to manage her illness.
As her condition deteriorated, she was brought to RIMS Hospital, where specialists from the Department of Plastic Surgery took over her treatment.
The patient was diagnosed with a malignant tumour on the left side of her oral tongue, which had already infiltrated the floor of her mouth, said a press release issued by the RIMS Media Cell.
On July 11, 2025, a marathon 8-hour surgery was conducted by a multidisciplinary team led by Prof. Akoijam Ibohal Singh, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, along with Prof Ningthoujam Anita Devi, Dr Kalpana Thongram, and a team of anaesthesiologists.
The cancerous segment of the tongue was removed by ENT specialists Dr Pushpakishore Maibam and Dr Kalpana Thongam, along with the affected lymph nodes in the neck.
The surgical team then undertook a meticulous microvascular reconstructive procedure using a free radial artery forearm flap—a tissue graft taken from the patient’s left forearm, shaped to mimic the tongue and sutured into the oral cavity.
The flap’s blood vessels were connected to the neck’s vessels using ultra-fine sutures through microvascular anastomosis, breathing life into the reconstructed tongue.
Post-operation, the patient was monitored intensively in the Trauma ICU and later shifted to the Plastic Surgery ward.
Just eight days after the procedure, she has begun oral intake and is recovering well.
The Department of Plastic Surgery at RIMS, Imphal, continues to demonstrate its commitment to patient care by combining advanced surgical techniques with compassionate service, offering new hope to patients from underserved communities, it said.
IMPHAL, Jul 19: In a remarkable demonstration of medical expertise and compassion, doctors at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, have successfully performed a complex and life-altering surgery on a 46-year-old woman from Imphal West district, diagnosed with advanced oral tongue cancer.
Ibempishak (name changed for confidentiality), hailing from a modest background, had initially relied on traditional remedies to manage her illness.
As her condition deteriorated, she was brought to RIMS Hospital, where specialists from the Department of Plastic Surgery took over her treatment.
The patient was diagnosed with a malignant tumour on the left side of her oral tongue, which had already infiltrated the floor of her mouth, said a press release issued by the RIMS Media Cell.
On July 11, 2025, a marathon 8-hour surgery was conducted by a multidisciplinary team led by Prof. Akoijam Ibohal Singh, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, along with Prof Ningthoujam Anita Devi, Dr Kalpana Thongram, and a team of anaesthesiologists.
The cancerous segment of the tongue was removed by ENT specialists Dr Pushpakishore Maibam and Dr Kalpana Thongam, along with the affected lymph nodes in the neck.
The surgical team then undertook a meticulous microvascular reconstructive procedure using a free radial artery forearm flap—a tissue graft taken from the patient’s left forearm, shaped to mimic the tongue and sutured into the oral cavity.
The flap’s blood vessels were connected to the neck’s vessels using ultra-fine sutures through microvascular anastomosis, breathing life into the reconstructed tongue.
Post-operation, the patient was monitored intensively in the Trauma ICU and later shifted to the Plastic Surgery ward.
Just eight days after the procedure, she has begun oral intake and is recovering well.
The Department of Plastic Surgery at RIMS, Imphal, continues to demonstrate its commitment to patient care by combining advanced surgical techniques with compassionate service, offering new hope to patients from underserved communities, it said.