Part of his ear has been ‘saved’ in his abdomen

At Vile Parle Hospital, Dr Aditya Kaushik, a reconstructive surgeon, thought of a novel idea. Why not preserve the cartilage inside a skin pocket of the abdomen? Accordingly, Ghichulal was operated upon the same day. ‘‘We repaired the cartilage and preserved it in the abdomen as it’s a safer bet than the back, chest or leg,’’ says Kaushik. ‘‘It’s uncommon to perform such procedures as ear amputations aren’t common either. But it’s the best alternative,’’ agrees Dr Abbas Mistry, reconstructive surgeon at Jaslok Hospital. Today, as Ghichulal is wheeled in, Kaushik and his team discuss the final surgery — reconstruction of the ear. Generally, a patient is operated six weeks after the first surgery.

‘‘The final surgery should take about three to four hours and we need to ensure the ear reconstruction matches his left ear,’’ says Dr Pankaj Mittal of Nanavati Hospital.

Meanwhile, Ghichulal is waiting for life to return to normal. His family is obviously delighted. ‘‘Pehle kuch ajeeb sa lagaa (Initially, we thought it was a bit strange), admits his cousin Mohanlal Choudhary. ‘‘But now we are confident about the doctor’s expertise,’’ he adds.