The baby's condition has improved since the 14th day after the liver transplant (Photo: plo.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Doctors of the Vietnam NationalChildren’s Hospital have successfully conducted a liver transplant on aone-year-old baby weighing 6.7kg – the youngest and lightest patient to undergothis surgery in Vietnam so far.
Doctor Nguyen Pham Anh Hoa, head of thehospital’s hepatobiliary department, said the patient was diagnosed withprogressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis Type 2 when she was threemonths old.
She had been hospitalised due to complicationslike enlarged liver and spleen, yellow skin and liver failure, but treatmentwas ineffective. Therefore, an early liver transplant was necessary, the doctornoted.
The transplant of a liver part from the fatherto his baby lasted for 12 hours in total on April 1 with the support ofTaiwanese experts.
Doctors said a liver transplant on a 6.7kg babywas a challenge, especially in connecting very small blood vessels in thepatient’s liver and avoiding affecting nearby organs.
The 13 days following the surgery were filled withdifficulties that could have necessitated anotheroperation, but the baby’s condition has improved since the 14th day.
The Vietnam National Children’s Hospital said ithas carried out 14 liver transplants on children so far.-VNA
VNA
