Danat Al Emarat Hospital’s surgeons perform a life-saving surgery for 48-hours-old Emirati girl

Surgeons at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi, part of United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical), have saved the life of a 48-hour-old Emirati girl who was born with twisted ovaries and bleeding due to large twisted ovarian cyst, the third case of its kind in the world. The newborn underwent a successful 3-hour laparoscopic surgical operation during which both ovaries were restored to normal, bleeding was managed, two cysts were removed, and severe adhesions in the intestines were treated by laparoscopy.

Mr. Mohammed Hamad Al Hameli, Acting Undersecretary at Department of Health – Abu Dhabi stated, “the successful treatment of this rare case and saving the life of this baby girl confirms the level of advancement in Abu Dhabi’s healthcare facilities, that are able to successfully deal with difficult medical conditions through highly qualified medical experts using modern medical technologies. Consequently, these facilities are responsible to maintain the levels they have reached and to constantly strive for improvements in line with the strategy of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.”

Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, CEO & MD of UEMedical said, “the capabilities of our medical multi-disciplinary team at Danat Al Emarat Hospital are evident in managing rare and complex cases. The newborn was treated in a timely manner by the hospital’s Pediatric Surgery team and was admitted in the hospital’s level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit led by a team of internationally-trained neonatologists.”

“The hospital is home to a comprehensive scope of subspecialties including fetal medicine, pediatrics and neonatology, pediatric surgery along with an advanced neonatal intensive care unit led by an experienced medical team. Providing these specialties makes Danat Al Emarat a regional referral center for high risk pregnancies, rare cases, sick newborns and premature babies,” he added.

Dr. Raja Cingapagu, Pediatric Surgeon at Danat Al Emarat Hospital, who performed the baby’s successful surgery along with a surgical team of various specialties said, “the newborn girl was born in the week 35 of pregnancy, and the tests revealed that the baby suffered from ovarian torsion and bleeding due to large ovarian cysts in both ovaries sized over 5 cm although the ovary is usually not more than 1 centimeter at this age

He further added, “48 hours after her birth, an urgent surgical operation was decided based on the results of the tests. We had to perform a laparoscopic surgery, during which the cyst was removed from each ovary and both ovaries were untwisted to their normal position. The bleeding was stopped and the accumulated blood was removed. Performing the surgery in the right time was essential in saving the life of the little girl, while keeping the ovaries intact without any complications and without effecting the organs.

“Such cases are very rare worldwide where both ovaries were twisted simultaneously, and at the same time it is considered life-threatening if not treated in the right time eliminating the possibility of disrupting the functions of the ovaries in future,” Dr. Raja said.

He explained that most similar cases which are still not that common occur in one ovary, but it is very rare to occur in the two ovaries at the same time, noting that this case is the third of its kind in the world. The first published case was in 1982 in the United States and the girl passed away, while the second case was reported last year in a European country but complete details were not published.

“The real reasons for such cases are not identified, but it could be caused by the hormones of the mother, which are transmitted through the placenta to the fetus. Sometimes, some of the fetuses may be hypertensive to the circulating hormones from the mother, which affects the ovaries in females causing ovarian hyperplasia, torsion and bleeding,” Dr. Raja added.

The newborn’s father Alanoud Ismail expressed his gratitude for saving the life of his newborn. He said, “when doctors informed me of my daughter’s condition and the treatment plan, I did not hesitate to proceed with their decision to perform this urgent surgery to save her life. I trusted the physicians’ decision; and from here I thank the management of the hospital and physicians for their efforts with my daughter. After surgery, my newborn stayed for 5 days in the NICU before we get discharged, and now we visit the pediatrics clinic within the hospital every few months for general follow ups.”