Doctors in Karnataka's Bagalkot perform rare surgery, save 10-year-old boy

BAGALKOT: Doctors saved the life of a 10-year-old boy by performing a rare surgery that costs about Rs 15 lakh in Bengaluru. On coming to know about the poor financial condition of the boy's family, doctors decided to take responsibility and did so within Rs one lakh. Now, after a month, the boy has fully recovered and is leading a normal life.
Dr Ramesh Hatti, paediatric surgeon, Shanti Hospital, Bagalkot, told TOI that Vikas Madar, 10, a resident of Nagaral village in Bilagi taluk, was admitted after being diagnosed with dengue. "He recovered after treatment but was suffering from high blood pressure and abdominal pain. When diagnosed, he was found to have adrenal glands of length 5 cms and 8 cms on both his kidneys, while they were supposed to be maximum 3 cms long. As high BP posed a threat to his life, these glands had to be removed through surgery. Though it was inevitable to refer him to Bengaluru, the journey itself could have been risky," he explained.
He said: "A team of doctors headed by Dr RT Patil found that the boy had a Pheochromocytoma issue that occurs in one among 10 lakh population and only 10% of these patients are children. Among these, only 10% are found with enlarged glands on both kidneys."
Another paediatrician Dr RT Patil said that the boy's father had also suffered from the same condition and he was treated in Bengaluru a few years ago. "Apart from travel risk, Madar family also expressed their helplessness about bearing the estimated cost of Rs 15 lakh. Doctors Sunil Patil, Sameer Desai, Prakash Chinnannavar, Vikram Nagathan worked for this rare surgery under the guidance of Mumbai's senior surgeons Dr Oak and Dr Ramadwar," he stated.
Both affirmed that the surgery was performed a month ago and now the boy is healthy. "If the glands are removed completely, the patient will have to live on steroids throughout his life. Hence, we retained the outer part of the gland so that the boy can lead a normal life without medicinal support. After observing his recovery, we are now revealing it to the media," they informed.