Filipino twins Tyler and Kelly got a new lease on life after they went through rare twin liver transplants in a Delhi hospital. The 23-month-old twin brothers were both born prematurely, weighing only 2 kg and 2.4 kg. Reportedly, they both developed liver issues within just two weeks of their birth. However, doctors have now saved the babies with complex back-to-back surgeries.
The rare twin liver transplant took place at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. The team of surgeons were led by Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director & Senior Paediatric Gastroenterologist, and Dr Neerav Goyal, Senior Consultant & Head of Liver Transplant Surgery.
According to a statement by the hospital, the babies developed persistent jaundice and pale-coloured stools weeks after being born. It was later determined that they are suffering from a rare birth defect, Choledochal Cyst Type IVA. In this, the bile ducts become abnormally enlarged, which leads to liver damage if not treated.
Over the next few months, the twins developed several health issues, including “gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal fluid accumulation, and poor growth.” Despite the best possible medical care, the only way left to save them was surgery.
Who donated the livers?
The parents were a match for both the kids, but the father was medically unfit to donate. While the mother donated a portion of her liver to one of the children, the other child received it from the maternal uncle, who volunteered to donate.
“Two children, Tyler and Kelly, from the Philippines, recently underwent liver transplants. What made this case unique was that they are twins and both suffered from a condition called choledochal cyst. This condition caused liver failure in both children. It is extremely rare for twins to share the exact same problem… When their parents first approached us, they were informed about the transplant option, and both parents offered to be donors. Unfortunately, the father was not medically fit; consequently, the mother and her brother, the children’s maternal uncle, donated portions of their livers,” Dr Goyal told ANI.
How are the twins?
The doctor assured that both kids were doing well and could live normal lives. He said, “Twenty per cent of the liver was harvested from both the mother and the uncle… This is an extremely rare condition, occurring in about one in 100,000 children; furthermore, only 10 per cent of those cases progress to the kind of liver failure requiring a transplant. Both children are now healthy and can lead normal lives… The procedure is successful in both cases because the liver regenerates, growing back in both the donor and the recipient,” he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
