Furthering the commitment to strengthening the delivery of global standards of clinical excellence, the CK Birla Hospital recently conducted a rare laparoscopic surgery, successfully, on a seven-year-old child to treat chronic pancreatitis, which was causing him severe abdominal pain. The young patient was severely underweight and was denied surgical intervention from other hospitals as he was just 17 kgs. Upon examination, Dr Amit Javed, Department of Advanced Surgical Sciences and Oncology Surgeries, CK Birla Hospital, treated the child through a minimal access approach which helped him experience less pain and have an early recovery.

Dr Amit Javed said, "This case was very complex as we were not only treating a very young patient but also someone who was quite under-weight for his age. After a complete diagnosis, the child was treated through laparoscopic surgery with a minimal access approach that ensured less pain and early recovery for the child. Despite having multiple stones in the pancreas in addition to suffering from a bile duct obstruction, the child is now leading a normal and healthy life. In addition to this, the patient will not have any scars from the surgery."

The child came with a complaint of severe abdominal pain due to multiple stones inside the pancreas. He was suffering from pain for the last three years and was being treated for pain management. Bile duct stricture had impaired the flow of bile, leading to jaundice. His condition was critical and required immediate intervention.

Surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis is challenging in children and especially laparoscopic surgery has been rarely reported, worldwide. This is probably one of the youngest patients of chronic pancreatitis and bile duct obstruction in India who has successfully undergone a laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery.