Rare liver surgery in Kerala hospital offers hope to cirrhosis patients

TIPS surgery, which connects the vein in the liver to the main vein in the stomach to reduce the blood pressure in the liver, was carried out recently at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. The patient was a 65-year-old man who suffered from liver cirrhosis. This was the first TIPS (Transjugular intrahepatitic portosystemic shunt) surgery taking place in a Government Medical College Hospital in Kerala.

The patient, belonging to Thrissur, had sought treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for swelling and fluid formation in the abdominal area. The doctors of the Interventional Radiology Department successfully carried out the procedure by inserting a stent through a pinhole-sized incision made in the vein.

While the procedure would cost at least Rs 4 lakh in private hospitals, the expenses were minimal at Kozhikode Medical College. Moreover, the cost was reduced further as the treatment was given under the ‘Karunya’ project. Following the surgical procedure, the swelling subsided completely and the patient was discharged from the hospital in a few days.

The doctors who were involved in the surgery were Gastroenterology Department Head Dr T M Ramachandran, Dr K Sunil Kumar, Principal Dr V R Rajendran, Interventional Radiology Department Head Dr E Devarajan, Dr P Noufal, Dr K R Rahul, Dr Bibin Sebastian, Anaesthesia Department Head Dr K K Mubarak, Dr K R Radha, Dr P M A Basheer and Dr M P Lesna.