When R. Murugesan’s doctor tagged his lack of appetite and weight loss to a cyst above his liver, his friends advised him to come to Chennai for treatment.
He was admitted to MIOT Hospital on June 27 and after a series of investigations, doctors suggested a liver transplant.
“I have had diabetes for 20 years and was afraid of surgery. I hoped for a cure for my condition with medicines alone,” says this 57-year-old rice mill owner from Nagercoil. “The doctors assuaged my doubts and I underwent liver transplant on October 1. Now I eat well and am healthy too,” he said.
Mr. Murugesan is one among the three men who have undergone surgeries for liver tumours at MIOT in the last four months.
For 48-year-old K. Venkatakrishnan, a government employee, a mere fever and stomach ache resulted in him being hospitalised. “I had fever and stomach ache. Investigations revealed that I had a tumour. The doctor said I need not worry as the tumour was confined to the liver only.
“The tumour pressed on his lungs, pushed his heart and blood vessels to a side. In a four-hour surgery, we removed the 2.6 kg tumour,” said Paari Vijayaraghavan, the surgeon who operated on the patient. Mr. Venkatakrishnan lost a portion of his large intestine, adrenal gland, liver and gall bladder to the tumour. Doctors had to reconstruct his digestive system. He has since returned to work.
Forty-year-old S.V. Venkatesan of Srimushnam, Cuddalore, became emotional as he recounted his trauma. He had been admitted to a corporate hospital in the city for abdominal pain, weakness and weight loss. He was diagnosed as having a tumour. But when surgeons at the hospital began operating on him, they realised that he was bleeding excessively. They abandoned the surgery and transferred him to MIOT for better care. Surgeons at MIOT had to redo the surgery and now he is fit for discharge, doctors said.
“It is rebirth for me. The hospital I went to had left me in god’s care but these doctors have given me my life,” said Mr. Venkatesan, who is working in an agency for a multinational company.
Consultant hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgeon R. Surendran said the patients had benefitted from a multi-disciplinary approach. “Surgeries for such complicated cases require many different teams and specialities to be available. We have an intervention radiologist, medical oncologist and surgeons all under one roof and on call,” he said.
Hospital founder P.V.A. Mohandas lauded the efforts of the team and said the purpose was to ensure that patients received the best possible care and returned home cured of their problems.
