NEW DELHI: Doctors at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, recently removed 14 live roundworms measuring 15 to 20 cm each from a 38-year-old patient's bile duct.
But all the worms were removed endoscopically without surgery.
This was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Arvind Khurana, Head of Department, Gastroenterology, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
The patient, Sunita, came to the hospital with complaints of severe abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and intermittent episodes of jaundice for the last six months.
She was advised to undergo an abdominal CT scan which revealed the presence of worms in the bile duct (the duct which connects liver and intestines).
The patient then underwent an endoscopic procedure (ERCP) which revealed multiple live round worms, each worm measured nearly 15 to 20 cm.
All worms were removed using snares and forceps.
While it is common to find worms in intestines, their presence in the bile duct is very rare.
India has one of the highest number of cases related to worms as de-worming medication is not routinely administered.
Dr Khurana, Head of Department, Gastroenterology said, "Usually round worms are found in the intestines.
Occasionally they can migrate to the bile duct causing pain, fever and jaundice.
There have been cases where we have seen two or three round worms in the bile duct.
However, to see 14 worms is extremely rare.
''The patient had taken a second opinion at other hospitals which had misdiagnosed the condition and prescribed antibiotics for the pain. Once properly diagnosed, we managed to remove all the round worms endoscopically in a single session. Immediately after the removal the patient was pain free."
The patient has been suffering from abdominal pain for the past six months and her pain was so bad that she could barely stand.
She had lost over 12 kgs in a span of a month, a spokesperson of the hospital said on Tuesday.