Surgery cures rare disease

Nikita Jadhav, 9, who was suffering from an uncommon disease that was causing her a lot of discomfort, got a new lease of life by doctors at Sion hospital on March 30.

Nikita Jadhav, 9, who was suffering from an uncommon disease that was causing her a lot of discomfort, got a new lease of life by doctors at Sion hospital on March 30.

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Nikita suffered from aortoarteritis, in which the renal arteries supplying blood to her kidneys were blocked.

The condition led to the girl exhibiting signs of high blood pressure and seizures.

On March 30, Nikita was successfully operated upon and on Monday, she was ready to be discharged from hospital.

In January, when she was brought to Sion hospital, she had contracted tuberculosis.

“Her renal arteries were dangerously blocked. The left artery had 99% blockage, which if not treated in time could have led to kidney failure,” said Dr Ajay Mahajan, associate professor of cardiology.

Doctors were unable to rein in her blood pressure.

“After detailed investigations, we found out that she was suffering from aortoarteritis and needed urgent treatment. Her condition could have led to brain haemorrhage, heart failure and even death,” said Dr Partap Nathani, head of department, cardiology.

Doctors performed an angioplasty to open the blocked renal artery supplying blood to her left kidney.

Post-surgery, Nikita’s blood pressure is under control and her left kidney is functioning normally, said doctors.

“We will plan her next procedure after three months to remove the block in her right kidney,” said Dr Mahajan.

When brought to the hospital, she was disoriented and could not recognise her father. “After almost three months, I finally saw a smile on my daughter’s face,” said her father, Deepak Jadhav, 38, a construction worker.

“This disease is not common in children. Sometimes even after this procedure, hypertension persists, however in her case we were able to achieve a good outcome,” said dean, Dr Sandhya Kamath.