Date:05/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/05/stories/2006060516650400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Surgery gives relief to girl from Pakistan

Sahana Charan

She suffered from habitual constipation, says doctor

Lubaba — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: Lubaba (14) has never felt better. The girl from Karachi in Pakistan was suffering from a peculiar condition which doctors in her country failed to recognise. Now she is relieved after undergoing a surgery at a city hospital and is happily preparing to go home.

Lubaba was brought to Manipal Hospital here a few weeks ago for suspected Hirschsprung's Disease, which is a congenital disorder wherein the person cannot pass motion owing to a functional obstruction because the intestines do not work normally. But the problem turned out to be something else.

"When she came here we first conducted a biopsy and ruled out Hirschsprung's Disease. Lubaba's was not a congenital problem. She suffered from habitual constipation may be because of bad toilet training, which had not been treated early. As the chronic constipation was neglected and only later treated through medicine by doctors in her country, one part of the colon (sigmoid colon) was grossly dilated, enlarged and filled with accumulated faeces," Jayanth Iyengar, consultant paediatric surgeon at Manipal Hospital, told The Hindu. He and his team conducted a surgery to remove the unhealthy part of her colon and rejoin it. A colostomy was done to divert the faecal matter and she was given washouts.

Dr. Iyengar said that habitual constipation was common in small children, most of the times at an age when they are undergoing toilet training. But acquired mega colon needing surgery was rare among children. "If the condition is recognised early it can be corrected through diet and laxatives resulting in return to normal bowel habits. But if neglected, as in Lubaba's case, it can be life-threatening," Dr. Iyengar added.

Lubaba, who had been adversely affected psychologically because of her condition, is now a changed person. "She used to be tense and cranky when she first came to us. Now she seems more relaxed," he said.