A 46-year-old Surat woman with Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD) leading to an enlarged liver and liver failure got a fresh lease of life after a challenging liver transplant. A team led by Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Director of Liver, Pancreas, Intestine Transplant Program, and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery at Global Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai was successful in saving the life of the patient by removing enlarged liver weighing 7 ½ kgs and 40 cm in size and transplanting the healthy liver from a deceased donor.
The patient, a resident of Surat, had severe abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort for 15 years and was unable to lead a normal life. She was detected with Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD) and was listed for a cadaveric liver transplant. Her condition worsened further as her liver enlarged and multiple cysts expanded the liver and hence led to expanding abdominal girth. The patient was referred to Dr Gaurav Chaubal at Global Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai who performed a life-saving and uneventful transplant procedure on the patient.
Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Director of Liver, Pancreas, Intestine Transplant Program, and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary surgery at Global Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai said, “The patient‘s health had deteriorated when she visited me. Her liver function was low owing to liver failure due to Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD). It is a rare, inherited condition leading to benign (noncancerous) cysts. The incidence of polycystic liver disease (PLD) is around 1 person per 10000. Usually, Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD) doesn’t require a transplant. It is only needed in very few cases when the liver size is huge and there is liver failure. It was essential to perform a timely transplant on her as liver failure if not treated in time can have potentially lethal complications.
Dr Chaubal added, “When we did the open laparotomy, an enlarged liver weighing 7 ½ kg and 40 cm in size that is 1 ½ feet wide was found. This is the largest explant that has been removed across India and we replaced it with the healthy liver from the deceased donor. The patient recovered well and was discharged in 2 weeks. The operation was challenging as the size of the liver was huge and if the explant was not removed as a whole, chances of patient bleeding profusely and dying were very high. The availability of state of art OTs and post operative ICUs along with the technical expertise is necessary to ensure smooth recovery of the patient.”
Dr Vivek Talaulikar, COO, IHH Healthcare India & CEO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Mumbai said, “The team from Global Hospital has recently performed a successful liver transplant, offering hope to patients suffering from life-threatening liver diseases in Surat. The Hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and expertise to carry out complex surgeries such as liver transplants. This successful liver transplant marks a moment of joy and pride for the hospital. We are committed to providing world-class healthcare services to our patients, making use of cutting-edge techniques in surgical procedures. This liver transplant marks another milestone for us and our commitment towards delivering innovative healthcare solutions that save lives.”
