Three Rare Pediatric Liver Transplants Successfully Performed at Rainbow Children’s Hospital

Chennai: Rainbow Children’s Hospital, a Paediatric multi-speciality and perinatal care hospital chain, has performed a live Paediatric liver transplant for Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 13 (PFIC 13).

The procedure was carried out on an eight-year-old boy from Thoothukkudi at the hospital’s Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Liver Transplant. Alongside this, the team completed two additional rare Paediatric liver transplants on infants under seven months of age.

The surgeries were carried out by Rainbow’s team of pediatric liver specialists and transplant facilities. Under the leadership of Dr Mettu Srinivas Reddy, Lead Transplant Surgeon, and Dr Somashekar, Senior Consultant Pediatric Hepatologist, the team included Dr Prasanna Gopal, Transplant Surgeon; Dr Karthik Narayanan and Dr Nataraj Palaniappan, Senior Consultants in Paediatric Intensive Care; and Dr Keerthivasan, Consultant in Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The team was further supported by Dr Sathish Chander, who led the anaesthesiology department, along with nursing staff and transplant coordinators.

An eight-year-old from Thoothukudi was battling Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 13 (PFIC 13), an extremely rare inherited liver disorder, with fewer than 8 cases reported in the literature. With the timely partial organ donation from his mother, he is well and back to school.

A seven-month-old from Pondicherry, who developed severe liver disease in infancy, was saved after her father lost 9 kilos in one month to qualify as a living donor, before undergoing an 11-hour transplant surgery.

A five-month-old from West Bengal born with Biliary Atresia was given a second chance at life when his mother partially donated her organ as a donor, and he was saved after a 14-hour transplant surgery.

Commenting on the procedures, Dr Somashekara, Senior Consultant Pediatric Hepatologist, said, “Pediatric Liver transplant is one of the most critical yet challenging areas in medicine.

With our expertise and advanced infrastructure at Rainbow Children’s Hospital, we have today successfully treated and cured three rare Liver disorders. Seeing the children have a second chance at life with the support of their parents is truly heartwarming and personally fulfilling.

These surgeries reaffirm Rainbow’s commitment to delivering pediatric liver care with compassion, precision, and expertise.”

The Centre of Excellence for Pediatric Liver Transplant at Rainbow Children’s Hospital is equipped with dedicated pediatric Liver ICUs, modular operation theatres, advanced imaging and diagnostic systems, infection-controlled transplant wards, and 24/7 multi-speciality support teams.

The program integrates pediatric liver transplantation with advanced technologies such as high-end anesthesia systems, precision surgical tools, and child-friendly infrastructure, ensuring safety, precision, and care for young patients.