A team of doctors in Jamshedpur successfully operated on a newborn with a rare condition of bowel prolapse through the umbilicus.

Dr Soumyo Ghosh, the paediatric and neonatal surgeon who led the operation at Dr Abhishek Child Care and Maternity Hospital in Jamshedpur, claimed that a case of bowel prolapse through the umbilicus is very rare.

“A 28-day-old newborn from Gamharia in neighbouring Seraikela-Kharsawan district was admitted to the paediatric surgery unit at our hospital with a complaint of intestine coming out of the umbilicus nearly three weeks back. The baby was immediately shifted to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and prepared for surgery. He was operated on for close to three hours,” said Dr Ghosh on Friday.

“The intestine was repositioned and a new food passage had to be created for the baby. After surgery, he was placed in the NICU for seven days. Gradually, he started tolerating the mother’s feed through the new food passage. He was discharged after around 10 days,” added Dr Ghosh.

“The operation was carried out by our team of Dr Abhijit Kundu (general surgeon), Dr Sunaram Majhi (paediatric anaesthetic) and Dr Abhishek Kumar (paediatric). The baby is under follow-up and doing well at present. We would be monitoring his condition for a year,” said Dr Ghosh.

“Persistence of the patent vitello intestinal duct may present with a variety of anomalies. The condition itself causes leakage of stool through the umbilicus. The other common presentations may be bowel loop volvulus, intestinal obstruction or adhesions. Very rarely the condition may present with bowel loop prolapsing through the umbilical opening causing a panicky unforeseen emergency,” said Dr Ghosh.

The team found a loop of ileum intussuscepting through perforated patent vitello intestinal duct and prolapsing out through the umbilicus. Reduction of the prolapse was done followed by wedge resection and anastomosis of the perforation. Vascularity was intact.