Hyderabad Doctors Perform Surgery on Mother and Son with Rare Heart Condition

Hyderabad: Doctors at a private hospital in Hyderabad have successfully performed surgery on a woman and her son, both suffering from aortic aneurysms.

In what is claimed to be extremely rare case, the woman inherited the heart condition from her mother and the same was passed on to both her sons.

Although such conditions can occur due to genetic factors, the occurrence of the extremely rare Marfan Syndrome is even rarer, affecting only 0.19 people per 100,000.

Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Vishal V. Khante said mother and son were successfully treated with surgery at Kamineni Hospital, where the doctors replaced the aneurysmal aorta with an artificial one, saving their lives.

According to doctors, this family is significantly tall and faces various issues. Their bones and ligaments are weak, and they have problems with blood vessels and valves.

"About six months ago, a woman came to our emergency department. After various tests, we found that her aorta had ruptured due to an aneurysm. We immediately performed emergency surgery to implant an artificial aorta. She was noticeably taller than the average woman, standing at 5 feet 9 inches," Khante said.

The woman's 18-year-old son, who visited her, was also notably tall at 6 feet 4 inches, indicating genetic similarities. "We suspected that the son might also inherit certain conditions, including Marfan Syndrome, and tested him as well. We found the same issue and advised him to undergo surgery immediately. However, due to financial constraints, they returned six months later," said the doctor.

The young man also had a significantly enlarged aorta. After conducting all necessary tests, doctors proceeded with the Bentall procedure, a complex surgery.

"We removed the enlarged aorta and replaced it with an artificial one, implanting a size 29 valve and tube. This is a very complex and challenging surgery, with only about a 50 per cent success rate. Fortunately, the surgeries for both the mother and now the elder son were completely successful," said Khante.

"This hereditary condition is passed down genetically. In this case, it affected the grandmother, the mother, and the elder son. Tests on the 14-year-old younger son revealed he also has the same issue. Identifying these conditions as early as possible allows timely intervention before the aorta enlarges and ruptures," Khante said.