Kidney patient gets new lease of life at civic hospital

MUMBAI: In an indication of improved services at civic-run hospitals in the city, surgeons at Cooper Hospital recently removed the non-functioning kidney of a 32-year-old woman using a minimally invasive method, known as laparoscopic nephrectomy. This procedure is frequently used in big hospitals.
The patient, Sunanda Pottavathini, is a native of Andhra Pradesh.She had been passing blood and pus in her urine for some time. Examination by her local doctor revealed that her right kidney had been affected by tuberculosis and was only functioning 24%. When her condition worsened, her brother brought her to Cooper Hospital.
According to senior surgeon Dr Vinay Thati, further tests revealed that her right kidney also had a two-centimetre stone. "We had no option but to remove it,'' he said.
Explaining how the technique, Dr Thati said that five incisions were made to pass various instruments as well as the `harmonic scalpel'. The scalpel coagulates the tissue in this region, ensuring that there is less bleeding.
The surgeons also removed pus. "The affected kidney was pulled out without any difficulty through one of the incisions, and the patient was kept in the hospital for another four days,'' said Dr Thati. A recent check-up revealed that Pottavathini had recovered quite well.
Dr A Upadhyaya of Cooper Hospital said that the earlier technique required opening up the patient's abdomen. "It was a painful procedure and it took longer for the patient to recovery. The new technique is quite useful,'' he said, adding that "it is a great achievement for doctors at Cooper Hospital".