Laparoscopic Whipple operation conducted successfully at K G M U
LUCKNOW : Doctors of the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) have successfully conducted a laparoscopic Whipple operation and the patient will be discharged within two days.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Dr Avnish Kumar of the department of general surgery said, “A 45-year-old patient from Gorakhpur was suffering from jaundice and severe grade itching. He came as a suspected case of cancer. After tests, we diagnosed obstructive jaundice with duodenal carcinoma (a type of cancer) and decided to perform Whipple procedure.”
The laparoscopic Whipple procedure is performed through small incisions in the abdominal wall. A laparoscope, a long thin tube with a lighted camera at its tip, is inserted through one incision.
“The surgery was a complex procedure to remove the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder and the bile duct. Whipple operation, usually done by the open cut method, was performed using a laparoscope for the first time at KGMU,” he said.
Dr HS Pahwa, who was a part of the operating team, said, “This is a complicated operation and with a laparoscope it was even more complex, but we did it successfully.”
Doctors said the patient was operated on October 22 and he was able to take in fluid the third day after the procedure. “He will be discharged by Monday,” said Dr Avnish Kumar.
Dr Manish Kumar, Dr Akshay Anand, Dr Sandip Verma and Dr Ajai Pal were also a part of the operating team.
The surgery, which usually costs ₹6 to ₹8 lakh, was performed for under ₹50,000 at KGMU.