This Hospital Successfully Performs Complicated Liver Transplants On Children With A Rare Disorder

Chennai: Apollo Hospital doctors successfully saved two young lives by performing complicated living donor liver transplants on a Six-month-old baby and an Eleven-year-old girl who had extreme health complications during the pandemic. Mothers of both children gave a new lease of life to them once again by donating a part of their liver.

Six-month-old Baby Abhyansh Mondal had persistent jaundice since his birth in January 2020 which eventually got worse with time. The baby was affected by a rare genetic disorder due to which she was born without a bile duct. Abhyansh Mondal daughter of Abhishek Mondal and Samyuktha Kumari from Jharkhand was suffering from Biliary Atresia, a rare, congenital liver disorder. Though her illness was diagnosed in Jharkhand in January, the family could not go for further treatment due to the continuous lockdown.

Speaking about this procedure Dr Elankumaran, Surgical Gastroenterologist, Liver Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Children's Hospitals, said, "By the time they brought the child to Apollo Chennai the baby's liver was completely damaged. The baby was weighing eight kilograms only. Her bile duct was completely not formed and this is not a common scenario. Studying all the complications and emergencies we suggested doing a transplant which was the only option to save the child. Baby Abhyansh underwent living donor liver transplantation two months ago and his mother Mrs. Sanyutha Kumari was the live donor. Post the transplant the patient recovered completely and returned back to Jharkhand."

Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) is a rare genetic disease that causes malformation and fibrosis (scarring) of the liver. Occurring in roughly one out of every 20,000 births, CHF can lead to an enlarged liver, impaired blood flow to the intestines (portal hypertension), infection of the bile ducts and liver failure. In severe cases, a liver transplant is usually needed to treat the disease.

Similarly, eleven-year-old Ashvitha from Trichy was diagnosed with Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, a rare disorder associated with Polycystic kidney disease leading to renal failure 4 years ago. She was under treatment in her hometown, however, her health was continuously deteriorating. Her parents noticed some serious changes in her day-to-day activities, she was unable to even continue her studies for a year. She was brought to Apollo Hospitals Chennai for further medical evaluation.

Explaining the case further, Dr Elankumaran, Surgical Gastroenterologist, Liver Transplant Surgeon Apollo Children's Hospitals, said, "Because of the genetic disorder her liver enlarged so much that she was unable to carry herself around she stopped schooling. Over the past one year, she has been suffering a lot and visited Apollo Chennai two months ago when she weighed 26 kilograms only. The transplant was the only available option for the child. Ashvitha's mother donated a portion of her liver after undergoing several tests for donation fitness."

The surgical team led by Dr.K.Elankumaran, Surgical Gastroenterologist, Liver Transplant Surgeon Apollo Children's Hospitals and anaesthetist Dr Vasantharoopan and team performed the transplant successfully. The procedure was performed with financial assistance under T.N.C.M. Health Insurance scheme the liver transplantation was carried out after due approval without any cost.

Paediatric liver transplantation is a complex surgery with the facilities available in only very few hospitals across the country. Both surgery and post-operative care need expertise and experience. Several crowdfunding agencies and governmental agencies contribute towards the surgery for the unaffordable parents. Apollo Children's hospital is one of the tertiary care paediatric hospitals with adequate set up to manage children with complicated liver disease including medical treatment, plasmapheresis and liver transplantation.