Expressnews
Chennai, February 2025: A 53-year-old patient from Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu who was suffering from Liver cirrhosis, an end stage liver disease has undergone a successful Laparoscopic Living Donor Hepatectomy (LDH), a minimally invasive surgical technique at, where a portion of the liver is removed from a living donor using laparoscopic instruments, marking another milestone in its advanced liver transplant program at Gleneagles Hospital Chennai. The liver was donated by the patient’s daughter who was 22-year-old. The team of experts spearheaded by Dr. Vivek Vij, Dr Joy Varghese and Dr Selvakumar Malleswaran took 8 hours to perform the Laparoscopic Living Donor Hepatectomy procedure.
The patient, Mr Kannan (Name Changed) was suffering from jaundice and abdominal swelling from fluid building up in the belly and he was referred to Gleneagles Hospital Chennai in January 2025. On arrival, Doctors examined the patient’s condition and various tests including CT abdominal scan, revealed that the patient was suffering from Liver Cirrhosis, an end stage liver disease and liver transplant is the only option for the patient’s survival. When the patient’s daughter offered to donate part of her liver (50% of her liver) for a transplantation, the doctor chose to conduct a laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy (LDH) due to the donor’s advanced age and single status. The liver transplantation was successfully performed on 10th February 2025.
“The success of this laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy is a testament to the expertise of our medical team and our hospital’s state-of-the-art surgical capabilities. Living donor liver transplants provide a lifeline to patients suffering from end-stage liver disease, and laparoscopic techniques enhance donor safety and recovery”, said Dr Vivek Vij, Head of HPB & Liver Transplant Surgery, Gleneagles Hospital Chennai
Dr Joy Varghese, Director of Hepatology, Gleneagles Hospital Chennai, said “We chose to perform minimally invasive procedures on the patient because of the donor’s young age, which will greatly reduce post-operative pain, hospital stay, and recovery time for donors. These cutting-edge techniques reduce surgical trauma, which results in fewer complications, a quicker return to daily activities, and an overall better donor experience”.
“We are happy to have been a part of this life-changing journey for both the donor and the patient, and we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of medical expertise to enhance lives‘, ” said Dr Nageshwar Rao, CEO, Gleneagles Hospital Chennai. Laparoscopic liver transplantation is a minimally invasive procedure performed by very few hospitals in India, and Gleneagles Hospital Chennai is now the only hospital in Tamil Nadu that undertakes the scarless procedure for the donor”, added Dr. Nageshwar Rao
The donor was discharged on the fifth day following surgery, and the patient made a full recovery and was discharged on the ninth day following the liver transplantation. This historic treatment underscores the hospital’s dedication to pioneering surgical innovations and saving lives through compassionate care.
