Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 27: A 10-year-old girl underwent major lung surgery after doctors discovered that a pen cap had remained lodged in her airway for more than seven years, with her condition initially being mistaken for tuberculosis and later asthma.
The child, Mysha Shaikh, a resident of Dharavi, eventually had nearly one-third of her left lung removed after prolonged infection caused irreversible damage. Doctors say she is expected to recover well and lead a normal life.
According to her mother, Maimuna Shaikh, Mysha had suffered for years from a persistent cough and significant weight loss. Several doctors initially treated her with antibiotics, suspecting recurring respiratory infections. She was later referred to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hospital, where she was started on anti-tuberculosis treatment despite testing negative for TB in a sputum examination.
A resident doctor associated with the case explained that diagnosing the condition was particularly challenging because of the unusual location of the foreign object. The doctor said treatment decisions were based on the child's clinical symptoms, adding that anti-tuberculosis medication is prescribed only when there is sufficient clinical suspicion and that such treatment can also help rule out TB for future evaluations.
However, Mysha's condition failed to improve even after completing the TB treatment. Her family then sought care at a private hospital, where she was diagnosed with asthma and prescribed inhalers, but her symptoms persisted.
The breakthrough came when she was examined at SRCC Children's Hospital (Narayana Health). Pulmonologist Dr. Indu Khosla said repeated episodes of pneumonia that failed to respond to treatment prompted further investigation.
A CT scan revealed that part of the girl's left lung had collapsed while the remaining lung tissue appeared healthy, raising suspicion that an external object might be obstructing the airway.
Doctors performed a bronchoscopy and discovered a pen cap lodged deep inside the left lower lobe bronchus. Due to its difficult position, the hospital's ENT specialists joined the procedure, and additional anaesthesia was administered before the object could be safely removed.
Following the removal of the pen cap, Mysha's condition improved rapidly. Within weeks, doctors observed a significant reduction in the pneumonia, and portions of the damaged lung that had not undergone permanent degeneration began functioning again.
The medical team monitored her for another month in the hope that the remaining collapsed section of the lung would recover naturally. However, severe infection and irreversible tissue damage prevented it from re-expanding.
As a result, surgeons removed approximately one-third of the affected lung to prevent further complications.
Despite the major surgery, doctors remain optimistic about Mysha's long-term health and say she is expected to enjoy a normal quality of life.
Reflecting on her daughter's ordeal, Maimuna Shaikh said the family came close to losing Mysha because the true cause of her illness went undetected for years. She also noted that the prolonged treatment and multiple hospital visits had resulted in substantial medical expenses, the total of which the family can no longer accurately calculate.