NEW DELHI: A five-year-old infant afflicted with two liver diseases — Biliary Atresia, seen in one in 12,000 babies, and Budd Chiari Syndrome, which afflicts one in two million children, received a transplant at a private hospital in Delhi.
Baby Surampudi Sehitha from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, developed jaundice when she was just one month old. Her condition worsened as her abdomen started distending due to progressive swelling. She had Biliary Atresia where there is no connection between the liver and intestine.
“The first step in the treatment was to create a connection between the liver and intestine. This was attempted at the local hospital initially to treat the baby’s condition but as Surampudi’s liver was already severely shrunken (due to cirrhosis), the procedure was abandoned,” Group Medical Director and Senior Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr Anupam Sibal told The Morning Standard.
“The case was shifted to our hospital. A CT angiography showed that she was suffering from occluded hepatic venous channels which drain the liver. The combination of Budd Chiari syndrome with Biliary Atresia in a baby is the rarest of rare cases.”
The Budd Chairi Syndrome had worsened the baby’s condition following which the hospital decided on a liver transplant. “It is a very rare disease while Biliary Atresia is the most common condition for liver transplant among children. Of the 320 liver transplants that we have performed in children, more than 140 have been for children with Biliary Atresia,” Sibal added.
Surampudi underwent a living donor liver transplant on March 25 with her mother being the donor. The money for the treatment raised through a crowd-funding platform.
Life Span
The baby was discharged after three weeks of liver transplant and has been put on medication to prevent re-occlusion of her tiny vessels and to prevent rejection of the transplanted liver.
“There is no need to worry now. The baby will need to be on anti-rejection medication like in any other organ transplant throughout her life. Infection has to be avoided,” the doctor added.
Dr Neerav Goyal, Senior Consultant liver transplant and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Group, explained the process. “The blood vessels in a baby are very small (3-4 mm) and with Budd Chiari Syndrome, the risk of clotting increases. Initially, the father was the donor but his liver was found to be unsuitable. The mother’s liver turned out to be compatible. After her surgery, Surampada, recovered well.”
“As the family had limited resources, they received financial help from many benevolent people who came forward to contribute for her treatment through a crowd-funding platform,” he added.