Salem: The Mohan Kumaramangalam government hospital here has successfully performed a rare and technically intricate chest aperture surgery on a ten-day-old infant to correct a congenital defect called 'hiatus hernia (protrusion of an organ, typically the stomach or intesntine through the oesophageal opening in the diaphragm) using 'Thoracoscopy'.
A team of the hospital's pediatric surgeon Dr Ravichandran had successfully undertaken this "very challenging surgical procedure called Thoracoscopy correction" on the infant girl, said the Salem GH dean Dr Balaji Nathan, speaking to reporters here on Friday.
In medical parlance, 'Thoracoscopy' is "visual examination of the lung surfaces and pleural space through a viewing tube" and 'Thoracoscopy' can also be used for certain surgical procedures.
The girl child born to Ms Haripriya, wife of one Nagarajan, at the Salem GH on November 13 was found to be suffering from breathing difficulty, Dr Balaji Nathan said. On examination it was found that the child had protrusion of the intestine, creating problems for the lungs. The right side of the lung had not developed as it should have due to the protrusion of the organ and pressing the heart and left part of the lungs, making it difficult for the child to breathe.
To correct this abnormality required a very sophisticated micro-surgery, a procedure involving a very fine 'aperture' (drilling a hole) on the chest, with the help of 'Thoracosopy' and pushing the protruded intestine into the stomach to help normalize the breathing function, explained the dean.
The procedure was done on November 24 and the child was given artificial respiration for two days, he said, adding, the child was now able to breathe normally. The 'Thoracoscopy' ensures that no scar or injury is caused to the child, he said, adding, such a procedure in a private hospital would have cost Rs. two lakh. But in the GH, it was done free for the benefit of the poor couple under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Medical Insurance scheme, he added.
