Manipal Hospital's Manipal Institute of Liver and Digestive Disorders (MILDD) has conducted a successful liver transplant on a paediatric patient using a healthy part of the liver of her mother. The surgery places the hospital in the league of a few healthcare centres in India offering the super specialization service. MILDD is making all efforts to offer pancreatic transplant.

The paediatric liver transplant patient, aged around three and half years was diagnosed with Alagille Syndrome, a chronic liver disease three days after his birth. Over the years, the liver failure resulted in itching (Intractable Pruritus) and significant growth retardation.

During the transplant, the diseased liver was replaced with a part of the healthy liver of the mother. The age of the child and the small blood vessels made this a particularly challenging surgical intervention, stated Dr Sadiq Sikora, chief surgical gastroenterologist, Manipal Hospital.

The team of surgeons Dr Sadiq Sikora, Dr Ramcharan T, Dr Srikanth, and Dr TLVD Prasad Babu, along with plastic surgeons, joined the small blood vessel supplying blood to the liver using a microscope to ensure a surgical success. The entire team of anesthetists, paediatric intensitivists and all support departments contributed to ensure the success of the transplant, he added.

Post surgery, the transplanted part of the mother's liver in the child functioned well as was evidenced by the disappearance of symptoms like itching and normal reading in the liver function test.

Over two lakh people in India succumb to liver related diseases annually. Over 50 per cent of cases require liver transplant. Around 10,000 patients suffer from metabolic liver disorders, and one third of cases are paediatric cases. Right now cadaver transplants are not being carried out but awareness about the organ donation within the patient's family needs to be created. Any one between 15 and 55 can donate the liver to save patients. The liver is known to grow back in both the donor and patient, stated Dr Ramcharan T, transplant surgeon who joined Manipal from New Orleans, United States.

Manipal Institute of Liver and Digestive Disorders has a dedicated ICU and has performed liver and pancreatic dissections, gastroenterology indication laparoscopic procedures, obesity surgery, besides liver cancer management. The cost of liver transplant for the paediatric case was around Rs 15 lakh, stated R Basil, CEO, Manipal Hospital.

According to Dr. Nagendra Swamy, group medical director, Manipal Hospital, efforts will be on to create a benchmark in the treatment of all liver related ailments in India.