MASTER SURGEON LIVER TRANSPIANTATION

MASTER SURGEON

Dr. Mohamed Rela As A World-renowned Liver Transplant Surgeon

INTRODUCTION:
Dr. Mohamed Rela, a world-renowned liver transplant sugeion, and a Consultant Liver Transplant Surgeon at global Hospitals (Chennai and Hyderabad), who recently performed the country's first ever Auxiliary Liver Transplantation, in a conversation with SUDHIR SRINIVASAN, talks about his life, plans for the city, and of course, about liver transplantation.


As we waite to meet doctor Mohamed Rela at Global Hospitals, Sholinganallur, it's evident that we are about to meet somebody special. The man who recently performed the country's first-ever Auxiliary Liver Transplantation at Global Hospital, is quite sought-after. There are quite a few queuing outside to meet him. In the words of an employee at the hospital, "He is passionate about his job, and is probably one of the few doctors in the city who like to spend significant time with the patients. "and being a world-renowned expert liver surgeon, the cases that he handles are almost always very serious. When we eventually walk in to meet him, his British accent reminds us of his permanent job at Kinds College Hospital, London; a place where he worked in the largest liver transplant programme in Europe, and where, presently, he is the lead clinician for hepatobilary and pancreatic surgery, apart from heading the paediatric liver transplant programme.


Rela is now in the city, and is out t9o, in his words, "give back something to my country". In no time, he gets to the point and addresses the problem, that according to him, is rampant in not only the country, but in the world. "Less than 5% of the patients who qualify to have an Auxiliary Liver.

Transplantation, undergo the surgery,"he says. an auxiliary Liver Transplantation is the procedure by which a hemiliver is implanted into the abdomen of a person suffering from a liver disease. The fundamental difference between this procedure and a usual liver transplantation (Orthotopic Liver Transplantation) is fact while this procedure allows the native liver to recuperate (because of the regenerative ability of a liver), the latter requires that the entire liver be substituted with a new one. "The advantages of this procedure cannot be stressed enough, "says Dr Rela, "By following this procedure, the patient does not have to depend on immunosuppression drugs for life, as would happen if the Orthotopic Live. 

Transplantation (the most common method followed in the world) is done. Also, because it only needs part if a complete liver, the rest can be used to heal another person who suffers from a liver disease. "


Dr Rela, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having performed a successful liver transplantation in a five-day-old child, is among the very few surgeous in the world to have performed an Auxiliary Liver Transplantation. "Only about 100 such surgeries have been performed in the last 20 years, and I've performed half o9f them, "he says. The pride in his voice is overshadowed by his grief that more have not been performed. He offers several reasons for many popular hospitals choosing to perform the usual Orthotopic Liver Transplantation even if the patient


Will be Continue Tomorrow.............