Rare surgical feat - Delhi doctors remove 6-inch long roundworm from infant's liver

Doctors at the GB Pant surgeons removed a roundworm from the 18-month-old's organ using an adult endoscope.

Image for representational purpose only

New Delhi: In a rare surgical feat, doctors at Delhi's GB Pant Hospital have successfully removed a six-inch long roundworm from the liver of an infant.

As per a report in TOI, the GB Pant surgeons removed a roundworm from the 18-month-old's organ using an adult endoscope, as they did not have the equipment for paediatric patients.

Roundworms are commonly found in the intestine but this was a rare case as the parasitic organism managed to travel to the baby boy's liver via bile duct, doctors said.

For the complex surgery, which was conducted on Friday, doctors inserted the endoscope into the child's food pipe via mouth. On reaching the small intestine, an endoscopic knife was inserted into the bile duct, which had to be cut to take out the roundworm, the TOI report added.

Dr A S Puri, professor and head of gastroenterology department of the hospital told TOI that this is the second such case in the world. after the first case was reported in Brazil.

Dr Puri added that in the first case which was reported in Brazil, the doctors used a paediatric endoscope of 9mm in diameter to remove the parasite from the liver of a one-and-a-half-year-old patient.

However, in this case, since the GB Pant did not have the appropriate equipment, they had to use an adult endoscope, which is bigger in size.

"For the past one and a half months, Dawood had been in pain and crying incessantly. He used to pass worms in stool and vomit. We took him to local doctors, but medicines failed to bring him any respite since a roundworm had reached his liver," Farheen, the infant's mother, was quoted as saying to TOI.

According to Dr Puri, roundworm has been found in liver previously in older children, above three years of age.

Roundworms are parasites, which get into the human body through ingestion of contaminated food and water and can infect people. They use the human body to stay alive, feed and reproduce.

Usually many people affected by a roundworm infection do not show symptoms. However, when symptoms occur, it may include - fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, tiredness, abdominal pain, allergic rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc.

Roundworm infections can usually be successfully treated with medication. Perhaps, regularly washing your hands can help prevent the spread of a roundworm infection.