Lviv doctors grew a new part of the liver in the body of 10-month-old Demyan from Bukovyna. Almost the entire organ of the boy was affected by a large malignant tumor, and only 15% of healthy tissues remained. To save the boy's life, surgeons performed a unique operation — ALPPS. Specialists prepared for this extremely complex intervention for a month. This was reported by the First Medical Association of Lviv, writes UNN.
Details
A malignant tumor was discovered in Demyan when he was 4 months old. At that time, the baby lost his appetite, stopped gaining weight, and his skin became pale. Local doctors referred the family to St. Nicholas Hospital, where the only Center for Cholestatic Diseases in Children in Western Ukraine operates.
Specialists performed a biopsy. It confirmed that the baby had a huge malignant liver tumor. It occupies 8 centimeters out of 12 (the length of the organ itself) and has spread to all four sectors of the liver. And its main part is localized in the center – where the main vessels pass. So Demyanchyk was classified as a high-risk patient.
The boy's life was in danger – he could die in a matter of weeks. To save the child, doctors immediately started chemotherapy, and in four months the tumor had shrunk by half. But this was not enough and a more radical decision had to be made.
Doctors immediately rejected the option of a liver transplant, as Demyanchyk weighed only 8 kilograms. At such a low weight, the survival rate after organ transplantation is critically low, which made it too risky.
There was one more, extremely complex option — ALPPS surgery. Lviv doctors had never performed such interventions before, as it is a new method. Only a few such operations are performed on children worldwide each year. ALPPS involves radical resection, i.e., almost complete removal of the liver.
"After consultations with Polish colleagues, Lviv pediatric surgeons decided to resort to the new method. After all, this is the only way to fight for Demyanchyk's life.
They prepared for the ALPPS procedure for about a month. And then the day came. During the first stage, surgeons divided the parts of the liver into healthy and tumor-affected ones. And the vessels that nourished the "sick" area were clamped so that the tumor stopped growing, but the organ continued to perform its function," doctors said.
A week after the operation, 15% of the separated healthy liver tissues grew fourfold. Thus, doctors managed to grow a sufficient amount of tissue from a critically small volume, which was necessary for the next stage of the operation. Pediatric specialists were able to completely remove the diseased part of the liver.
Currently, the boy continues to receive chemotherapy, and the results of regular examinations are very encouraging. His liver has fully recovered and is functioning normally. Finally, the baby's appetite has returned, and he is actively gaining weight. And in July, a special event awaits Demyanchyk – he will soon celebrate his first birthday.
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