UAE doctors save newborn with liver outside body

Dubai, May 20 (IANS/WAM) Surgeons in Abu Dhabi have saved a child who was born with a portion of his small intestine as well as his entire liver outside his body.

The organs hung from a huge spherical sac sealed by a thin membranous lining from the umbilicus, according to the report on Saturday.

The newborn underwent a successful five-hour surgery two weeks after birth, where doctors removed the umbilical lining, restructured abdominal muscles and returned the various organs to the abdominal cavity, according to Dr Raja Cingapagu, who performed the operation.

Such cases are very rare, occurring once every 20,000 births, Dr Raja said in a statement issued by Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children in Abu Dhabi.

The newborn was diagnosed at 12 weeks. The mother was placed under observation until delivery, which was scheduled at the 37th week of pregnancy, said the doctor.

Tests performed on the foetus during pregnancy and on the child after birth showed absence of muscles in the central abdomen around the navel. 

The condition led to parts of the stomach, small intestine and liver extruding outside the abdomen in a spherical sac measuring around seven centimetres in diameter, the doctor said. 

"It was decided to perform the surgery to return the organs inside the abdominal cavity and to treat the hernia closing the abdominal wall muscles." 

Ashraf Abunar, the child's father, said: "We felt somewhat worried. However, the attention and care my son received from the very first moment and the provision of the best healthcare services in the hospital contributed to alleviate us."