UAE: Indian expat diagnosed with rare condition after undergoing bariatric surgery

When Minal Chetankumar Patel visited Aster Hospital, Qusais, with abdominal pain and vomiting, she did not suspect any severe complications to her condition.

At the hospital, Patel underwent a CT scan that revealed intestinal ischaemia, a serious condition caused due to insufficient supply of blood into the intestines.

Patel, a property consultant in Dubai, was diagnosed with a rare condition called Petersen's hernia, which had developed as a complication after the bariatric procedure she underwent five years ago.

She had lost considerable weight after the bariatric procedure in an Indian hospital in 2017 and recovered well post-surgery.

After returning from India, she was fine until March 2022, when she landed at the hospital's emergency department.

It was not the first time Minal had abdominal pain post the bariatric surgery. "I used to get the pain occasionally but thought it was due to some food I consumed. The pain lasted for a day, and then I would feel better. So, I neglected the symptoms and continued with my daily routine," said Patel.

Dr Sudheer Salavudeen, specialist general surgery, Aster Hospital, Qusais, said that Patel's test result showed obstruction of the blood supply into her intestines.

"To understand the cause in detail, we performed a laparoscopy that gave us the real-time footage of the intestines. During the procedure, we saw that her intestines were contorted and circling in loops," said Dr Salavudeen.

"These contortions were the result of the gastric bypass bariatric surgery she had undergone about five years ago," added Dr Salavudeen.

The consulting doctor found milky fluid filling the spaces between the intestinal loops. In the laparoscopy footage, Dr Salavudeen was surprised to see the intestines herniating into the Petersen's space.

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ayaz@khaleejtimes.com