Liver Transplant for 7 months child

THURSDAY, October 9, - In a unique surgery of its kind, Indian doctors at the Apollo Indraprastha Hospital in New Delhi have performed a successful liver transplant on a 7-month-old child.

Sivojit Paul was born with a condition called biliary atresia. In this condition there are no connections between the liver and the intestine. Therefore bile is not excreted and this can lead to a fatal condition. The only way out is to perform a liver transplant.

Sivojit, who is based in Kolkata, came to New Delhi two months ago with severe jaundice after a surgery to connect the liver and intestine failed in a Kolkata hospital. His mother Munmun Paul told reporters they were referred to Delhi by the Kolkata doctors.

Doctors at Apollo said they could not afford to wait because the child's condition was rapidly deteriorating. Generally liver transplants are not attempted until one year of age.

gastroenterologist Dr Anupam Sibal and his team found Sivojit's father Indranil Paul to be a fit donor. A part of his liver was taken to be transplanted into his son.

Biliary atresia is not a common condition. Only 1 out of 12,000 babies suffer from this condition, which cannot be treated unless a liver transplant is performed.

While doctors expect Sivojit to make a complete recovery and lead a normal life; he still has to take anti-rejection medicines all his life.