HYDERABAD: A 70-year-old farmer from Somalia got a new lease of life after a team of doctors from the city reconstructed his urethra which was completely cut-off due to a bullet injury.
The patient, Dahir Afrah Mohamed, was hit by a bullet near his pubic bone seven months ago when he was caught in firing between rival groups near his farm. The bullet passed through his urethra below the prostate and exited through his right buttock. He underwent surgery at a local hospital where a tube was pushed directly into his bladder. He had multiple fistulae leaking urine from his buttock wound. While he was lucky to have survived as the bullet missed his major blood vessels and gradually all the fistulae healed, he faced issues in passing urine.
Investigations on patient, who came to Hyderabad for further treatment to MediCover Hospitals, revealed that his urethra was completely cut-off. “As his urethra was completely cut off, we had to devise a plan for this surgery to be successful. To got the two ends together, we cut-off the pubic bone and mobilised both ends and sutured them in a marathon five-hour-long surgery,” said Dr AV Ravi Kumar, consultant urologist, MediCover Hospitals.
This was a very rare case due to its severity and such a complex disconnected ends of urethra which could get back the functionality of the urethra. “Patient’s tubes were removed after four weeks and he is passing urine freely now,” added Kumar.
The patient, Dahir Afrah Mohamed, was hit by a bullet near his pubic bone seven months ago when he was caught in firing between rival groups near his farm. The bullet passed through his urethra below the prostate and exited through his right buttock. He underwent surgery at a local hospital where a tube was pushed directly into his bladder. He had multiple fistulae leaking urine from his buttock wound. While he was lucky to have survived as the bullet missed his major blood vessels and gradually all the fistulae healed, he faced issues in passing urine.
Investigations on patient, who came to Hyderabad for further treatment to MediCover Hospitals, revealed that his urethra was completely cut-off. “As his urethra was completely cut off, we had to devise a plan for this surgery to be successful. To got the two ends together, we cut-off the pubic bone and mobilised both ends and sutured them in a marathon five-hour-long surgery,” said Dr AV Ravi Kumar, consultant urologist, MediCover Hospitals.
This was a very rare case due to its severity and such a complex disconnected ends of urethra which could get back the functionality of the urethra. “Patient’s tubes were removed after four weeks and he is passing urine freely now,” added Kumar.
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