An extraordinary operation was carried out at the Molinette hospital in Turin, part of the "Città della Salute e della Scienza" complex, where a 21-year-old girl was saved thanks to a rare liver transplant, performed for the first time with a completely extra-anatomical technique.
The patient had been born with biliary atresia, a severe malformation that had led to a first liver transplant when she was 6 months old. However, during her adolescence, she began to experience recurrent bile duct infections, which led to advanced cirrhosis of her previous liver. Due to severe damage to her blood vessels and bile duct, the second transplant presented an extremely complex challenge.
No longer able to use traditional blood supply routes, doctors performed a connection of the abdominal aorta to the new liver artery to ensure arterial blood flow, a caval-portal transposition, where the inferior vena cava was joined to the portal vein of the donated liver, to replace venous blood flow, and a connection of the liver's bile duct directly to the intestines, creating an alternative route for bile.
The operation lasted 14 hours and was also aided by the use of an extracorporeal machine for about 80 minutes, to maintain blood circulation during the most delicate phases of the intervention.
Thanks to perfect coordination between medical teams and the donation of an organ from a boy who lost his life to trauma, the 21-year-old girl is in good health in the Semi-Intensive Surgical Area after five days in intensive care.
(A2 Televizion)
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