Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 16 (ANI): Fortis Hospital in Noida has achieved a major milestone by performing the world’s first laparoscopic dual-lobe living donor liver transplant of a 51-year-old Kyrgyzstan patient on Thursday.

The 51-year-old Kyrgyzstan patient suffered from end-stage liver disease caused by chronic Hepatitis B infection. Led by Dr. Vivek Vij, Chairman, Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Sciences, and a multidisciplinary transplant team, the surgery resulted in an excellent outcome. The patient was discharged in stable condition, while both living donors – his daughters, aged 20 and 21, also recovered well and were discharged in good health.

In a first-of-its-kind approach in the world, liver donation surgeries for both donors were performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques, resulting in less pain, smaller incisions, lower postoperative discomfort, and faster recovery. The donor surgeries lasted approximately five hours each, while the recipient transplant surgery was completed in nearly eight hours.

Histopathological examination of the removed liver later confirmed chronic hepatitis related to Hepatitis B and Hepatitis D infections with advanced liver damage.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with decompensated chronic liver disease (a severe stage of liver failure characterised by jaundice) along with jaundice, recurrent ascites (abnormal buildup of excessive fluid in the abdominal cavity), gastrointestinal bleeding and episodes of altered consciousness.

Detailed Medical Evaluation confirmed advanced liver failure, portal hypertension, severe thrombocytopenia (a medical condition characterised by an abnormally low number of platelets in the blood) and impaired blood clotting. As a single donor graft was deemed inadequate to meet the patient’s metabolic needs, the transplant team opted for a dual-lobe living donor liver transplant using liver grafts donated by both of his daughters.

Giving details of the case, Dr. Vivek Vij, Chairman, Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Sciences, Fortis Hospital Noida said, “Dual-lobe living donor liver transplantation is among the most technically demanding procedures in transplant surgery and is performed only at a handful of centres worldwide. Accomplishing it through a completely laparoscopic approach for both donors marks a major milestone in living donor liver transplantation. The minimally invasive technique reduces pain, blood loss, hospital stay and recovery time for donors while maintaining the highest standards of donor safety. This achievement opens new possibilities for patients requiring larger liver graft volumes while simultaneously improving safety and recovery outcomes for living donors. By minimising surgical trauma without compromising donor safety, we were able to protect the wellbeing of these young donors while successfully providing a life-saving transplant to a patient who otherwise faced progressive, irreversible liver failure.”

Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital Noida, Mohit Singh, said, “Achieving this landmark transplant reflects our relentless pursuit of clinical excellence and innovation. It not only expands the frontiers of living donor liver transplantation but also establishes Fortis Hospital Noida as a trusted global destination for highly complex liver transplant procedures.” (ANI)