Local Surgeon Published in British Medical Journal

1/19/2023

Carlsbad Medical Center would like to congratulate Murugan Athigaman, M.D., FACS, general and vascular surgeon at Carlsbad Medical Center, who recently had a case report published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).

The report highlights a highly technical colorectal surgery case performed by Dr. Athigaman and his team at Carlsbad Medical Center. It was an extremely rare cancer, called leiomyosarcoma (LMS), arising out of the colon, which accounts for only less than one percent of all colorectal cancers.

In this case, the patient was a 72-year old man who was referred to Dr. Athigaman by his primary care provider for evaluation of an abdominal mass. A CT scan revealed a very large tumor in the abdomen as well as multiple gallstones. Surgery was scheduled to remove the mass as well as the gallbladder. While the gallbladder was removed uneventfully, according to the case report, “the mass was discovered to be highly vascular with multiple parasitic vessels.” It was also found that the tumor was attached to a portion of the colon, preventing it from being removed completely, which resulted in the transverse colon having to be resected along with the tumor attached to it. This technique requires an extremely high level of technical skill. The tumor weighed 3198 grams (seven pounds) and measured 23.2 x 19.5 x 12.8 centimeters, which according to Dr. Athigaman is considered a “giant tumor,” and nearly the size of a basketball.

Dr. Athigaman would like to thank Dr. Qureshi, co-surgeon, the anesthesiologists, the entire OR team and the nursing and support staff who contributed to the patient’s excellent recovery.

This successful surgery and the publication of the case report are both huge professional accomplishments, and we are proud that one of our own has been featured in such an esteemed publication. Most importantly, this case is a testament to the level of care that is available right here in Carlsbad, and we are fortunate to have a surgeon of this caliber in our community. Congratulations once again, Dr. Athigaman.

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