Laparoscopy success for six-month-old girl at BDF Hospital

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A six-month-old girl has become the youngest patient at the BDF Hospital to undergo laparoscopy to repair a congenital hiatal hernia.

Congenital hiatal hernia occurs when a child is born with a hole in the diaphragm, the thin sheet of muscle separating the abdomen from the chest, which leads to the entry of the intestine or internal organs into the chest.

The defect causes problems such as difficulty breathing, chest infections, or twisting of the intestine. Captain Dr Abdulrahman Al Shafei, a general specialist and kidney and pediatric urology, performed the laparoscopic surgery, which took about 90 minutes, after which the patient was discharged from the hospital the next day after a complete recovery.

In the past, laparoscopy is often avoided for this type of hernia in children due to their small size, so a large incision is used during surgery, which causes more pain and a long stay in the hospital.

Today, however, laparoscopic surgery is performed with very small incisions making the procedure safe and easy for children of all ages.

Dr Al Shafei also expressed his gratitude and thanks to the Commander of the Royal Medical Services, Major General Professor Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, for his continuous support and guidance in advancing the standard of surgical care for infants and children at the BDF Hospital.