HospiUpdate

SRMC Conducts Laparascopic Removal of Spleen of 10-Yr-old

Doctors at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Chennai have successfully removed the diseased spleen of a 10-year-old boy through laparoscopic surgery. Master Ramesh (name changed) was diagnosed to be suffering from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) when he started bleeding from his nose and mouth an year ago. ITP is a disease in which the platelets required for clotting of blood is destroyed by the spleen and the patient manifests with bleeding in different parts of the body.

Treatment was started by paediatrician and hemato-oncologist at SRMC for his decreasing platelet count. All the options available for medical management were used but his platelet count showed no signs of improvement after which he was identified to be suffering from chronic ITP.

In such a situation, splenectomy (removal of spleen) was the last option for the patient.Normally, splenectomy in a 10-year-old is associated with several problems when done by conventional open method involving a big incision on the abdominal wall. Paediatric surgeons at SRMC thought otherwise and planned a laparoscopic splenectomy for him.

The procedure requires advanced technique and skill. The large 10 centimeter spleen was removed through three five mm holes and one two centimeter hole on the abdominal wall. The boy recovered satisfactorily. His platelet count which was not increasing beyond 30,000-50,000 has now risen to 5,50,000.

Laparoscopic splenectomy was made possible by the joint team efforts of the paediatrician, hemato-oncologist, paediatric surgeons and a team of expert anesthesiologists available at SRMC.

EH News Bureau