THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Doctors at Kimshealth Hospital here have successfully removed a precancerous lesion from the stomach wall of a 58-year-old woman using a cutting-edge minimally invasive technique. The procedure, known as Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), involved a specialised hybrid knife and submucosal saline injection.
Dr Madhu Sasidharan, senior consultant in the department of gastroenterology, led the operation. “We carefully dissected the lesion from the mucosa-the tissue lining the internal organs using the hybrid knife. This tool allows for marking, cutting, and coagulating without changing instruments. The lesion was fully excised and removed via endoscopy, with the resection site checked for bleeding and cauterised,” Dr Sasidharan explained.
The patient from Kanyakumari has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer. A routine PET CT scan, part of her ongoing cancer treatment, detected a lesion approximately 2 cm by 1.5 cm in the stomach wall. Although initial biopsy results were cancer-free, a follow-up scan indicated the lesion’s growth.
Post-procedure, the patient adhered to a nil per oral diet for three days. A post-barium meal examination confirmed no leakage at the resection site, and she was gradually reintroduced to solid foods. She was discharged the following day. Subsequent follow-up endoscopy showed successful healing of the resection site ulcer, according to a hospital statement.
Senior Consultants Dr Ajith K Nair and Dr Harish Kareem, Dr Arun P, associate consultant, and Dr Sharmila from the department of anaesthesia participated in the procedure.