In April 2017, Taalaibek Alaibek, a 19-year-old youth from Kyrgyzstan, was diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis. The tapeworm infection grows and spreads like malignant tumour in the liver.
He suffered weight loss of up to 10 kg, which was accompanied by headache, and pain in the groin and lower limbs. Doctors initially treated his condition with medication. However, he was later advised to undergo liver transplant in view of his deteriorating condition.
After consulting many doctors in Kyrgyzstan, the patient visited Jaypee Hospital in Noida for treatment.
Abhideep Chaudhary, senior consultant, Liver Transplant Department, Jaypee Hospital, counselled Taalaibek to undergo a living-donor liver transplantation surgery with inferior vena cava (IVC) replacement to treat his defect. “At this point, it was his 21-year-old brother Alaibek Azizbek who was evaluated as per protocol required for the surgery and agreed to become his donor,” said a release issued by the hospital.
Parasitic infection
Dr. Chaudhary said, “Taalaibek was suffering from alveolar echinococcosis, which is a chronic parasitic infection that may be fatal sometimes. It is caused by echinococcus multilocularis. We recommended a living-donor liver transplant with replacement of IVC, which was also infiltrated by the parasite. Also, curative surgery option was not possible in his case due to the extended disease. The only treatment option viable was liver transplantation.”
“The patient underwent liver transplant surgery, where his elder brother was the donor. It was a critical procedure. We removed the retro-hepatic vena cava with the liver first and then replaced the vena cava with cadaveric aortic graft. The donor was discharged one week after the surgery. At present, Taalaibek is on immunosuppressants and other supportive medication. His liver function is stable and the CT triphasic abdomen within normal limits. The patient is doing fine now and is healthy enough to go back to his country,” said Dr. Chaudhary.
Stating that prior surgeries make the operation more complicated, Dr. Chaudhary said it is important to avoid unnecessary abdominal surgeries for any future transplant cases.
Cases of living-donor liver transplantation for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis are highly critical. Only 20 cases of liver transplantation with IVC replacement have been reported so far globally, with just one case from India in the past.
Taalaibek’s mother Mariam Khan said, “Due to lack of international-standard medical facilities in Kyrgyzstan, we decided to visit India for Taalaibek’s condition. Before coming to Jaypee, we visited another renowned hospital. Post examination, the doctor there advised treatment via medication for five years followed by surgery. Hearing this feedback, we were worried as we had been collecting money for the treatment for the past six to eight months, and had already spent $1,500 on hospital visits and tests.”
“After researching the disease and learning about the successful cases Dr. Chaudhary had performed in the past, we decided to to go to Jaypee Hospital and consult Dr. Chaudhary regarding Taalaibek’s case,” said Ms. Khan.
