Delhi: Teen treated for frozen abdomen in 10-hour surgery

16-year-old Utkarsh Jaiswal, a resident of Kanpur, has not stopped smiling since he got treated for 'ileal atresia', a congenital problem where a part of his small intestine was clogged since the birth, at a Delhi Hospital. The teenager was brought to the National Capital hospital due to extreme malnourishment and stunted growth. In a ten-hour-long surgery, a foot-long part of his small intestine was removed and then reconstructed.

"When the patient came to us initially, he complained of severe bloating of stomach and chronic vomiting. His duodenum was clogged since birth which posed hindrance in the digestive system and hence, the doctors bypassed the affected area. Unfortunately, even after 4 operations done in the past elsewhere, the patient was still battling this condition that forced him to lead an utterly painful life impacted his growth adversely. 6 meters of his intestine was totally constricted and we had to remove 1 foot of the intestine while separating the rest, tissue by tissue. The patient is healthy after the operation with no restriction in terms of lifestyle, including diet," said Dr Ashish Vashistha, Director and Head of Department, Max Super Speciality Hospital.

The small intestine fulfils the role of absorbing nutrients and minerals from food. If the small intestine is not able to perform this task, the body is starved off necessary nourishment posing a threat not only to the physical and mental development but to life itself. This alone was the main reason for malnourishment in Jaiswal.

"I had been hospitalized for more than 30 times with four (life-saving) surgeries since birth that only provided relief but only partially. I could not eat and digest food properly which further weakened my body. My repeated bowel constraints were like nightmares that lasted for 16 years. I never thought that I could ever be free from this congenital problem and live my life like other normal people," said Utkarsh Jaiswal.

Utkarsh underwent his first operation within 24 hours of his birth followed by three more operations till the age of 16. He was hospitalised more than 30 times due to his condition that severely affected his growth and threatened his life.

THE DISEASE

Ileal atresia is a congenital abnormality where there is significant stenosis or complete absence of a portion of the ileum. It results from a vascular accident in utero that leads to decreased intestinal perfusion and subsequent ischaemia a segment of bowel. This leads to narrowing, or complete obliteration of the intestinal lumen.