MUSCAT: An Omani medical team at the Royal Hospital successfully removed an aggressive cancerous tumour from the liver of a three-year-old child in a complicated six-hour operation.
The child had been diagnosed with a large tumour of skeletal muscle cancer type, one of the most aggressive and rapidly spreading types of malignant tumours in children. It originates in muscle tissue and is characterised by its ability to spread to adjacent organs and metastasise to other parts of the body. In this case, the tumour affected 80 per cent of the liver extending into the abdominal wall and internal organs including the colon.
Dr Al Warith bin Ahmed al Hashimi, Consultant of Liver and Pancreas Surgery and Head of the Organ Transplantation Department at the Royal Hospital, said that preserving the vital functions of the liver and other organs was a top priority in the complex surgery to remove the liver tumour. He added that preserving a small portion of healthy liver tissue was the biggest challenge they faced while preparing for the operation.
He added that the treatment plan began with preoperative chemotherapy to minimise the tumour. This allowed them to preserve a small portion of the liver, enabling it to regain its functions after the surgery.
He said that during the surgery they relied on meticulous planning using advanced imaging techniques to identify the vital blood vessels supplying the remaining healthy portion. They also closely monitored blood flow and bodily functions in collaboration with the specialised liver surgery anaesthesia team.
Al Hashimi said that advanced techniques were used in the liver resection to minimise bleeding and protect the bile ducts ensuring that the remaining portion of the liver would gradually regain its vital functions after the surgery. — ONA
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