Infants with critical liver ailments get new lease of life in India

Two infants suffering from foetal development issues of the liver got a second chance to life after undergoing a rare surgery at hospitals in the national capital region.
In both the cases, the parents of the infants donated portion of their livers.
Azariah Malala and Lilaz Bakhtiyar were both suffering from foetal development issues of the liver which posed a threat to their health and vitality, experts said.
Azhariah, a six-month-old boy from Samoa Island near Fiji, was brought to Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon and diagnosed with a rare congenital defect called Biliary Atresia with cystic malformation of biliary tract.

This is a condition in which the bile duct is not developed completely and is blocked, thereby not draining the bile from the liver. This results in stretching and blockage of blood supply to liver, mainly portal vein which supplies 75 per cent of blood to liver.
Doctors performed an eight-hour-long liver transplant surgery on the baby, whose father donated 25 per cent of his liver to his son.

The other infant, 21-month-old Lilaz Bakhtiyar, from Iraq, was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a condition in which the bile duct is not formed in the foetal stage.
At three months of age, Lilaz had undergone a biopsy which helped diagnose the congenital abnormality.

Her mother (A blood group) donated a portion of her liver to Lilaz who has O blood group.
"Intensive treatment for removal of antibodies was done before surgery to minimise the risk of rejection. Surgery was uneventful and child was discharged in satisfactory condition, said Dr Vivek Vij, Director, Liver Transplant, Fortis Healthcare, Okhla.
"Children with the foetal form of biliary atresia are more likely to require liver transplants, usually sooner rather than later. The need for a transplant is decided by the extent of damage and how badly the liver is diseased.
"Paediatric patients account for about 12.5 per cent of liver transplant recipients. Biliary atresia is reason for transplant in paediatric age group in 50 per cent of patients," he said.