A team of doctors at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad successfully performed a gastric pull-up surgery using laparoscopy on a 1.5-year-old child, enabling him to eat through the mouth for the first time since birth.
Rare Congenital Condition
Doctors said the child suffered from a rare congenital condition known as oesophageal atresia, in which the food pipe is not properly formed. This condition occurs in one out of every 3,000 to 4,000 live births and requires timely surgical intervention.
Initial Procedure and Definitive Surgery
Dr Taha Daginawala, paediatric surgeon, explained that the child had undergone an initial procedure soon after birth to insert a feeding tube directly into the stomach. However, the definitive surgery involved pulling the stomach up through the chest and connecting it to the upper oesophagus in the neck.
“We opted for a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique. To our knowledge, this is among the first such procedures in the state for this age group,” Dr Daginawala said.
Successful Recovery
The child was able to take food orally nine days after the surgery. The successful outcome marks a significant milestone in pediatric surgery in the region.
