NEW DELHI, July 15 -- Doctors at AIIMS New Delhi have successfully performed a rare lung-sparing surgery on a four-month-old infant born with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), a birth defect in which part of the lung develops abnormally before birth. The infant, whose both lungs were affected, recovered well and was discharged just two days after the operation, making it one of the youngest reported cases of such a complex segment-level lung resection.

As the disease involved both lungs, the surgical team opted for a segmentectomy instead of removing an entire lobe. The procedure involved removing only segments 9 and 10 of the right lower lobe, among the most technically challenging parts of the lung because of their deep location, while preserving the surrounding healthy tissue.

The surgery was led by Professor Dr Vishesh Jain of the Department of Paediatric Surgery. He said one of the greatest challenges was operating on a moving lung. To create adequate working space, the affected lung had to remain completely motionless throughout the procedure.

Dr Jain credited Dr Abhishek from the Department of Anaesthesia for successfully isolating the affected lung using a small balloon-like device that prevented air from entering it. This enabled the surgeons to operate safely on a still lung despite the infant's tiny airway.

Explaining the procedure, Dr Jain said the lungs are divided into lobes, each of which contains smaller functional units known as segments. Each segment has its own blood supply and airway, but unlike lobes, they are not visible to the naked eye and require precise anatomical identification during surgery.

"Our biggest priority was to preserve as much healthy lung as possible because the disease involved both lungs. Removing only the affected segments instead of an entire lobe gives the child a better chance of normal lung growth and good respiratory function in the future. Such procedures demand meticulous surgical planning, close coordination with the anaesthesia team and advanced paediatric surgical expertise. We are happy that the baby recovered well and could go home within just two days," Dr Jain said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.