KGMU docs perform corrective surgery on 16yearold

Paediatric surgeons at King George’s Medical University successfully operated upon a 16-year-old boy to construct his urinary meatus (the point where urine exits the urethra in males). The opening was missing since the boy’s birth. Patients suffering from this condition face problems in urination.

The patient, a native of Dehradun, got his first treatment done at the age of eight. However, deterred by the high failure rate of the operation needed to correct this issue, his parents opted for a non-surgical intervention.

This changed a few months earlier, when the boy got selected for defence services and his congenital defect caused him to face temporary rejection. That’s when the family decided to opt for surgery.

The boy’s parents rushed him to a New Delhi based multi-speciality hospital of repute, and in October 2016 the corrective operation was performed. Unfortunately, the procedure failed within ten days.

“The boy came to me in OPD. We planned the surgery that was conducted on March 2. Now, he has been discharged,” said Prof SN Kureel, HoD paediatric surgery, KGMU, while addressing a press conference.

Prof Kureel is known for the surgical method (hypospadias repair) that he developed to mend such congenital defects. He has been teaching this technique to doctors all across the globe.

The incidence rate of this defect is one in 250 male newborns. “The rate has increased in the past five years. Earlier, the condition affected one male child in 700. Experts believe the reason is use of pesticides in crops and exposure to certain other chemicals in drugs,” said Prof Kureel.

The father of the boy is a private company employee. The family left Lucknow on Friday but will return to KGMU after a few weeks for his follow-up session.

The failure rate of this surgery in India is up to 20% but KGMU has almost 100% success rate due to Prof Kureel’s method.

The team that operated on the boy also included Dr Archika and Dr Sarita.