In 15 years, Mumbai doctor gives 17-year-old Kolkata boy new lease of life twice

A coconut-sized stone removed from an augmented (enlarged) urinary bladder of the 17-year-old Kolkata resident in a complex surgery on June 30

A Mumbai doctor has removed a coconut-sized stone weighing 1 kilogram from an augmented (enlarged) urinary bladder of a 17-year-old Kolkata resident. As the boy is an orphan, the surgery was done for free on compassionate grounds.

The stone removed from the boy’s urinary bladder. (Sourced)

This is for the second time that Dr Rajiv Redkar gave Reuben Sheikha new lease of life.

Sheikh was born with an exposed urinary bladder and a malformed penis. He suffered from Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex (EEC) which is a rare condition, found in 1 in 100,000 live births. The biggest complication in such cases is that the exposed bladder can’t store urine or function normally, resulting in urine leakage.

Almost 15 years ago, when Dr Redkar practised at Wadia hospital, he treated the boy for EEC. He had performed a bladder augmentation—an operation performed to increase the size of the bladder and Mitrofanoff Procedure which creates a new tube on a child’s belly through which a child can urinate by using a catheter.

“The tube was made from the appendix, and it connected the bladder to a small hole created in the belly button. However, after his treatment, he went back to Kolkata and did not follow up,” said Dr Redkar who currently works as a consultant paediatric surgeon, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim-Fortis Associate.

Last month, Dr Redkar got a call from the boy who was experiencing severe discomfort, pain and inability to control urination. The teenager travelled 2,000kms and landed at Dr Redkar’s clinic with a local guardian.

On June 30, Dr Redkar along with Dr Suresh Bhagat, consultant urologist and Dr Asmita Mahajan, consultant neonatologist from SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim, performed a surgery where they removed a large calcium oxalate stone from his bladder which was almost 13.4” in length and weighed a kilogram. Later, they reconstructed his augmented urinary bladder which was a challenging procedure, said the doctors.

“Reuben has responded to the surgery extremely well. His kidneys are well protected and functioning fine. Such a case needs long-term management of the condition with regular follows and check-ups,” said Dr Redkar.

“The boy travelled with a local guardian without any money. If left untreated, it could have proved fatal. So, when the hospital was informed about the case, they agreed to treat him free of cost to save his life,” he said.