Tiruchi hospital performs renal transplant on young patient with rare disorder

Doctors at Kauvery Hospital, Tiruchi, recently saved the life of a 12-year-old boy suffering from kidney problems due to a genetic disorder, by carrying out an ‘ABO incompatible’ renal transplantation surgery with the organ donated by the patient’s father.

Speaking at a press meet, the team said the operation was challenging because the young patient had been born without one kidney, and the other was malformed. The native of Cuddalore district had been undergoing dialysis since the age of 11 years.

“When the parents approached us for the treatment, it was found that neither the mother nor the father’s blood group matched that of the patient. After careful consideration, it was decided that the father, with Blood Group A, would donate one of his kidneys to his son, who has Blood Group O. Thus an ABO incompatible renal transplant was planned,” said V. Senthilvelmurugan, senior consultant and head, Radiology.

ABO Incompatibility refers to the condition when the immune system of a person with one blood type reacts adversely to blood received from someone with a different type. Advancements in medical technology have made ABO incompatible surgeries more common.

Kauvery Hospital has performed 48 such surgeries on adults so far; this was the first time it was done on a paediatric patient, said the team which included urologists Sasikumar and S. Senthil Kumar and nephrologist G. Balaji.

The patient underwent other treatments such as plasma exchange prior to the surgery to minimise the risk of graft rejection. The operation was done on January 19 and the patient was discharged after eight days of observation. “With no post-operative complications, such as graft rejection that can occur within the first month, the child was able to return home,” said T. Rajarajan, consultant-chief nephrologist.