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SEOUL — Doctors at Severance Hospital in South Korea have removed about 95% of a massive vascular and lymphatic growth from a 7-year-old boy from Eswatini, the hospital said.
The boy, identified as Tando, was born with a venolymphatic malformation, a rare congenital condition in which abnormally enlarged blood vessels and lymphatic vessels cluster together. The condition occurs in roughly 1 in 10,000 newborns.
A Growth as Large as a Child’s Head
A cyst-like lump was first detected on the left side of Tando’s neck when he was about 3 months old. It eventually grew across his jaw and neck, becoming roughly the size of his face.
The growth made it difficult for him to breathe and speak. He also could not attend school or spend time with other children and lived largely in isolation.
Tando’s case reached Severance Hospital through a Yonsei University medical school graduate working abroad. The Seoul hospital selected him for “Global Severance, Global Charity,” a program that brings patients from countries with limited access to medical care to South Korea for treatment.
The hospital covered the full cost of his care, estimated at 90 million won. Tando underwent surgery last month, with doctors focusing on securing his airway, limiting changes to his appearance and preserving his ability to eat and speak.
Doctors Preserve Critical Functions
The mass removed during surgery measured about 6 inches by 4 inches, comparable to the size of a young child’s head. Doctors removed about 95% of the lesion but left portions lodged deep inside his tongue and other areas.
Removing the entire growth would have required reconstructive surgery and carried a high risk of serious complications, according to the medical team.
Dr. Kim Da-hee, an otolaryngology professor at Severance Hospital who performed the operation, said cases like Tando’s are extremely rare in South Korea because such growths are usually detected and treated during infancy. She said preserving his ability to eat, speak and live normally was more important than removing every part of the lesion.
Continued Care and a New Ambition
Kim arranged for Tando to continue medication and receive regular blood tests after returning to Eswatini. The medication is intended to prevent the remaining growth from enlarging or recurring. The hospital also connected him with a medical center in South Africa for follow-up care.
Before receiving treatment, Tando had no particular career ambition. After meeting the doctors who cared for him, he said he now wants to become one himself.
“I want to become a great doctor like the doctors who made me better,” he said.
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