A team of doctors at KEM hospital performed a challenging operation for over two hours to remove the two extra legs; more surgeries scheduled to remove other extra body parts
In an ordeal that lasted a little over two hours yesterday, the most skilled doctors from the department of paediatric surgery at KEM Hospital joined forces to tackle one of the most unique and challenging cases in the hospital’s history yet, and successfully removed the extra pair of legs from 10-month-old Raj Manohar.
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Operation successful: The rare condition is caused when the bodies of twins fuse within the mother’s womb, when one of them fails to develop properly.
MiD DAY had reported how the infant had been brought to the hospital from his native place Yavatmal with the rare congenital condition known as partial caudal duplication, causing him to have four legs and two sets of genitals, apart from some other extra organs (‘Surgery to help 4-legged boy stand on two feet’, April 25).
The primary objective of the procedure was the removal of the two accessory limbs that were preventing the infant from sitting up.
Raj’s parents spent some nail-biting hours outside the OT, as their bundle of joy went under the knife. A relieved Ravindra Janardhan Manohar, Raj’s father, said, “The doctors told me that the operation went well, and my son’s condition is stable now. My worries about the financial constraints have been overshadowed by my joy over the successful surgery.”
Vaishali Manohar, Raj’s mother said, “I was overjoyed to know that the operation was a success, and Raj will grow up to be like any normal boy. We are extremely thankful to the team of doctors who have given our child a new lease of life.” The hospital has decided to bear the entire cost of Raj’s treatment. The rare condition is caused when the bodies of twins fuse within the mother’s womb, when one of them fails to develop properly. Raj’s case was even more interesting, as his accessory limbs had showed advanced development. The condition also gave Raj two separate penises and urethras. The extra organs will be removed in another surgery scheduled for a later date.
Dr Sanjay Oak, dean of KEM hospital, led the team of surgeons. He said, “In all my 30 years as a paediatrician, I have never seen a case like this. The patient’s case was unique — his extra limbs were very well developed, having bones and toes.” Dr Beejal V Sanghvi, associate professor, department of paediatric surgery, said, “His two remaining legs are both functional and capable of bearing weight now, and he is indistinguishable from any other child of his age.”
Dr Prashant B Joshi, assistant professor from the same department, said, “The main operation involved removal of two lower limb bones on the patient’s left side, and three lower limb bones on his right. In addition, we also removed muscles and fat, along with a portion of the pelvis, around which the duplication of the urethra had taken place.” Dr Nandini Dave, associate professor from the department of anaesthesiology, said, “We held repeated discussions to analyse the case.”u00a0
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