Chennai doctors perform rare hernia surgery on a month-old premature infant

Chennai, Sep 12 : A team of doctors here successfully performed a complex, emergency surgery to save the life of a critically premature baby boy with Amyand’s hernia -- a rare condition where the appendix is located in the groin.

“It is only the fourth case of its kind in medical history in the world,” said SRM Global Hospitals in a statement on Thursday.

The boy, born at just 28 weeks to Manju, a housewife, and Moorthy who works as a daily wage laborer, underwent surgery on the 23rd day after his birth while under general anesthesia.

“The newborn had been in the Neonatal ICU since birth. The baby developed obstructed right inguinoscrotal swelling on the 23rd day. We had to do emergency surgery, as the condition was life-threatening,” said Dr. Saravana Balaji, from the hospital.

Balaji explained that although neonatal hernias are relatively common in preterm babies, Amyand’s hernia is exceptionally rare -- affecting only about 0.42 per cent of these infants.

“Even rarer is the perforated appendix, occurring in just 0.1 per cent of Amyand’s hernia cases. To date, only three such cases have been reported globally. Our prompt intervention was crucial in addressing this complex and rare condition,” he added.

The doctor noted that it was a highly challenging surgery as the boy, like any other premature baby, had an immature airway that made anesthesia more difficult and required precise management.

In addition, the low birth weight of the infant necessitated specialised postoperative care in the NICU to ensure proper recovery and support.

The complex surgery that lasted for an hour was successful. The child recovered well, gaining weight to reach 2.06 kg and was discharged in good general condition, said the hospital.