A four-month-old baby, Ritvik from Mumbai, had to go under the knife after being diagnosed with duplication of intestine, one of the rarest congenital abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract.

According to Dr Vivek Rege, consulting paediatric surgeon and urologist, Bhatia Hospital, who operated upon the child, one in 5,000 newborn babies suffers from the condition “Intestinal duplication is very rare among children. The most common site of duplication is colon, stomach, and the oesophagus. Approximately two-thirds of all intestinal duplication is reported within the first two years of the life of a child,” said Dr Rege.

In Ritvik’s case, the parents noticed a lump near the abdomen. During analysis, the child was diagnosed with duplication of intestine where an abnormal portion of the intestine is attached with the normal bowel. “However, the exact reason for duplication is unknown but, as per my knowledge, it happens due to congenital disorders that occur before birth,” added Dr Rege.

“In many cases, parents overlook such lumps and this delays the treatment. They approach the doctor only at the last minute when the child starts vomiting and crying in pain. It also increases morbidity of children. So, they should also be more careful and consult the doctor at the earliest,” he said.

Post-surgery, there can be leakage outside if the healing does not take place properly. Hence, Ritvik was not given any food orally for five to six days.

Also, all the medicines were rendered in an intravenous manner. However, the child’s condition improved from the sixth day when he started passing stools and started oral feeds with sipping water. “The operation was successful and the child is completely healthy now,” said Dr Rege.