THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A successful liver transplant was conducted on a six-month-old baby at KIMS Health Hospital. The baby is one the youngest to undergo liver transplant surgeries in Kerala, the hospital said in a statement. The liver was donated by the baby’s mother.
“Fifteen days after birth, the baby developed jaundice, which gradually worsened. By the time the baby was three months old, its health deteriorated, which required expert treatment at the hospital. A detailed examination revealed biliary atresia, a condition characterised by a blockage in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder,” the statement said.
The condition occurs when the bile ducts, either inside or outside the liver, do not develop normally. It is a rare condition that affects only one in 70,000 newborns worldwide. The first step of the treatment was the Kasai procedure.
During this surgery, the diseased gallbladder and bile ducts were removed, and a section of the baby’s intestine was sewn directly to the liver, improving the flow of bile from the liver.
The procedure was led by Dr Asok Kumar G M, senior consultant, Department of Paediatric Surgery.