A 35-year-old woman from Kyrgyzstan who was suffering from a rare ailment associated with liver function got a new lease of life after getting an 'auto liver transplant' at a private hospital in Delhi.

The Kyrgyz national who was suffering from abdominal pain from the past three months got a transplant done at Fortis Escorts Hospital recently.

The hospital staff revealed that this procedure was performed for the first time in North India. In this process, liver is removed from the body and is kept in a preservative solution. Later, the affected part of the liver is removed and damaged veins are reconstructed replacing them with artificial veins. Then, the liver is re-implanted in the body.

A team of doctors including a Chairman performed this complex process of transplantation. The process continued for some eight hours. During the surgery itself, they removed the damaged part and successfully and replaced it with a normal part of the liver. Post-surgery, the patient had a fast recovery and was discharged on the eighth day of the surgery in a perfect and stable condition without prescribing any immunosuppressants which are generally given after organ transplantation.

The removal of the diseased part of the liver was a challenge in itself as it was entangled around the surrounding vital structures and there were chances of injury to these vital organs leading to excessive bleeding and various other complications.

Echinococcosis Multilocularis is a rare health condition caused by the infection from tapeworms such as those usually found in foxes, dogs, coyotes and cats, etc., according to the Centre for Disease and Control.

This disease also has some chances of recurrence and if not treated on time, this disease might affect the lungs, kidney, large blood vessels or the intestines of the patient. In majority of the cases where this disease is found, liver transplant occurs as the best alternative to cure the patient.

However, in this case, a new technique was adopted called the 'Auto Liver Transplant' where the damaged part of the liver was removed and replaced by a healthy part of the liver. And this is the second time, this challenge was undertaken by the medical officials as it requires a great deal of experience and expertise. Keeping the risks in mind, this was as much as life-challenging as it was in the case of life-saving.

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Reference:

• theprint.in