Omphalocele is a word that denotes ‘defect in the abdominal wall’ at birth. This leads to contents of the abdomen like intestines and liver coming out of the abdomen and present as a big swelling outside. While some of the babies with this condition do not survive, some of them do after a surgical repair soon after birth. 19 year old Ms. Amour Sauda Suleiman from Tanzania was struggling from Omphalocele right from her birth. After unsuccessful procedure in her country her parents came to SIMS Hospital with a lot of hope. On evaluation a team of Doctors decided to perform the Complex surgery.
Commenting on the Complex Omphalocele surgery Mr. Ravi Pachamoothoo, Chairman, SRM Group, said “SIMS Hospital is at the forefront of Gastroenterology, Hepatobiliary & Transplant Surgery. Our team of highly skilled, vastly experienced surgeons perform the latest in Gastro surgical techniques. At SIMS Hospital, we constantly strive to deliver medical care with best clinical outcomes of international standards”.
Speaking on the surgery Dr.Radhakrishna Patta Director & Senior Consultant – Surgical Gastroenterology said “Liver outside the abdomen’ is a rare condition after infancy. A thorough search of the internet did not throw any such cases. We have treated one such patient aged 19 from Tanzania successfully.”
Our aim was to put the liver back into the abdomen without compressing it. Since there was very little space in the abdomen it was necessary to increase the space. We had introduced a fine tube into the abdomen and injected a litre of air into it over a period of two weeks till the size of the abdomen increased. This method is called PPP (Pre-operative Pneumoperitoneum) He further added”
Speaking on the complex surgery Dr. Raghavendran K, Director & Senior Consultant, Anesthesia and Pain Management said “Creating a large space in the abdomen was a challenge. We had used Botox injection to relax the abdominal muscles in addition to PPP.”
Subsequently the liver was put in the and with the help of Dr.Sridhar K. Director & Sr. consultant, Institute of Craniofacial, Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery closed the abdomen comfortably. The patient has since recovered and is fit for discharge and fly back to Tanzania. The theatre nursing team was headed by Sr. Anitha.
In spite of extensive search in medical literature in the internet we have not come across any other similar case of ‘hepatomphalocele – liver in omphalocele’ in the world.
The patient and his family said “we are thankful to the fantastic and holistic expertise offered by the advanced surgical Gastroenterology team at SIMS Hospital.”
