Kauvery Hospital has successfully treated a two-year-old infant with citrullinemia (urea cycle disorder) by performing a liver transplant. The mother of the child was the live donor; the child weighed less than nine kg when she was operated upon.
The expert medical team led by K. Elankumaran, head, liver diseases and transplantation, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, held a press meeting on Tuesday to share details of the operation that took place in December, when the young patient was aged one year and nine months.
“The child was initially referred to us for seizure and severe vomiting. Detailed evaluation led to the diagnosis of urea cycle disorder, which causes accumulation of ammonia [a metabolic disturbance called hyperammonemia] and other toxic substances, and if le,ft unattended, can cause brain damage. We advised liver transplantation as a cure for this genetic disorder,” said Dr. Elankumaran.
“Despite the risks and doubts from the family, Sabana Parveen, the child’s mother, bravely volunteered to be the live donor,” he added.
In the procedure, a portion from the left side of Ms. Sabana’s liver was surgically removed, after being adjusted for the weight and size of the infant. The first operation lasted for around five hours, while the one performed on the infant took up to 12 hours, said the physicians.
The liver started functioning in the child soon after the transplantation.
“Due to medical advancements, the mortality rate in paediatric liver transplantation has been significantly reduced with living donor and split liver transplant surgery,” said S. Kumaragurubaran, hepatology consultant at Kauvery Hospital. “We are hopeful of the child’s normal development and growth after the operation,” he added.
While the cost of such operations usually runs into lakhs of rupees, the liver transplant surgery is covered by the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. “This makes it possible for people from economically weaker sections to avail the treatment for free. We want to show the public that technologically advanced medical treatments are now easily available in Tier 2 cities like Tiruchi too,” said D. Senguttuvan, co-founder, executive director and head of Paediatrics department, Kauvery Hospital.
A cake was cut in celebration of the child’s second birthday.
