A 59-year-old farmer got a new lease of life after doctors from JIPMER performed an eight-hour laparoscopy and one third of the liver affected with tumour was removed.

The surgery was performed on February 15 and the patient is fine after two weeks of the surgery, said Dr Biju Pottakkat, assistant professor of surgical gastroenterology.

The patient hailing from Cuddalore came to JIPMER with cancer of the large intestine four months ago. It was found that the cancer had also spread to one part of the liver.

The tumour in the large intestine was removed and was treated with chemotherapy. One tumour in the liver remained intact even after the chemotherapy.

The three-inch tumour was in the left part of the liver which the doctors planned to remove through laparoscopic surgery.

The operation was named anatomic left lateral liver sectionectomy and was performed by Dr Biju Pottakkat and Dr R Kalayarasan from the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and supported by anaesthesia team led by Dr S Adinarayanan.

Four small holes of one centimeter each were used for the operation. One third of the liver affected with the tumour was removed and the entire operation was completed through key hole laparoscopic surgery.

It took eight hours and the patient became conscious immediately after the surgery. Although the operation was complex, blood transfusion was not needed in this case.

Doctors used a special equipment named  ‘laparoscopic ultrasonic surgical aspirator’ for the operation, which was recently purchased.

“The patient was made to walk a day after the surgery on February 16 and started taking food. A week after the surgery, he was discharged and is now doing well,” said Dr Biju Pottakkat.

The operation which would cost around `1.6 lakh in a private hospital was done free of cost.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Puducherry / March 02nd, 2014