Surgeons have recently removed a “devil horn” from a farmers head in India and the horn is quite disturbing.
Shyam Lal Yadav, from Rahli village in Madhya Pradesh, said the creepy lump began to come out around five years ago after he bumped his head.
At first, he got his barber to cut it back but it began to get hard and continued growing which prompted the 74-year-old to seek medical assistance.
Neurosurgeons at Bhagyoday Tirth Hospital in Sagar city confirmed it was a sebaceous horn, or as it is slang term, devil’s horn.
The horn is made up of keratin which is found in nails and hair while the cause is not well understood. But it has been linked to exposure with radiation or sunlight.
After performing a CT scan, doctors found that the best course of action would be to cut it off with a razor.
Surgeon Dr. Vishal Gajbhiye said:
“Around five years ago the patient had hurt his head after which a lump started growing. Initially, he ignored it as it did not cause any discomfort. Also, he got the growth cut by the local barber.”
“But, when the lump hardened and started growing further, he approached the hospital at Sagar. In medical terms, this type of rare growth is called sebaceous horn (devil’s horn). As the horn is composed of keratin, the same material found in fingernails, the horn can usually be removed with a sterile razor.”
But the removal of the horn wasn’t the end of the road for Mr. Yadav’s journey.
Dr Gajbhiye said:
“The underlying condition will still need to be treated. The sebaceous horns are predominantly benign lesions however the possibility of malignant potential should always be kept in mind. Treatments vary, but they can include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Immediately after its removal, skin was grafted on the wound which has now healed completely.”
Mr. Yadav then spent 10 days in the hospital after being de-horned as well as sent off with a biopsy of the growth confirmed as harmless.
Mr. Yadav’s case has since been submitted to the International Journal of Surgery.