A 14-year-old boy becomes the youngest patient to receive a liver donation from a living donor

A 14-year-old boy from his older brother received a liver donation at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, as part of Mubadala Healthcare, becoming the youngest recipient of a living donor liver transplant in the hospital's history.

Doctors diagnosed Muntasir al-Fateh Mohieddin Taha as suffering from atresia of the bile ducts since he was a child, a condition in which the bile ducts are unable to form outside the liver during fetal development. This prevents bile from reaching the small intestine, where it helps digest fats. At the age of 10 months he underwent kasai surgery, a procedure to attach a loop that connects the small intestine directly to the liver, so that bile has a pathway to drain. Montaser’s doctors, in his native Sudan, were aware that Montaser would need surgery to transplant a new liver, and that this was only a matter of time, as this surgery was an inevitable result that most of the children who had this surgery underwent.

Earlier this year, Montaser's symptoms, and blood tests, revealed that he had begun to enter the stage of liver failure, and that he was suffering from high blood pressure in the portal vein, where the blood pressure increases within the vein that transports blood, from The gastrointestinal tract to the liver, and this has led to the appearance of esophageal varices. Given the increased risk of possible severe complications, the doctors who were treating Muntasir in Sudan recommended a new liver transplant for him, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Luis Campos, director of liver and biliary transplantation at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, who was part of the multidisciplinary medical team that took care of Muntaser, says this was one of the most complex living donor liver transplant surgeries ever performed at the hospital.

 Dr. Campos continues, “There were additional nuances that had to be taken into account due to the patient's age, which made it more difficult. Factors such as height and weight affect the surgery itself, and influence subsequent health care, and all of these factors influence the determination of the dose of immunosuppressive drugs during and after transplantation. In addition to this, there are risks of infection, and of other complications, in the case of liver transplantation for children, which are risks that do not apply to adult surgeries.”

The multidisciplinary medical team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi studied Montaser's condition, and then conducted an assessment of the health status of Montaser's mother and brother, to determine the extent of compatibility between them, and that was in February. After careful discussion with their colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic in the US, the doctors here decided that Montaser's brother was the most suitable, and most suitable donor.

Khalifa Al-Fateh Muhyiddin Taha says: “My little brother needed me. I was deeply relieved when I was told that I could help my brother be his cure for his illness. This was one of the easiest decisions I had to make in my life. My father passed away six months ago, and since I am the eldest of the family, I had to save my brother. This is my responsibility.”

Dr. Shiva Kumar, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology in the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and was also part of the medical team treating the patient, says that one of the biggest challenges while performing liver transplant surgery is in Victor's case. It was Kasai's surgery on this little patient.

Dr. Kumar says, “Although Kasai surgery is generally a surgical procedure to prolong the period after which a child needs a liver transplant, this surgery is a major operation and makes the liver transplant procedure more difficult and complex.”

“Despite the difficulties, the surgeries for both brothers were successful, and were carried out without complications. Montaser received a graft of tissue from the left lobe of his brother's liver. This part of the liver is smaller than if we were transplanting a whole right lobe of the liver. This procedure makes the donation safer for the donor, and helps him to Quick recovery.”

Now, both brothers are on their way to a full recovery. Khalifa returned to his normal life; As for Montaser, he is under the observation of the health care team, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, to follow the immunosuppressive regimen, a regimen that Montaser will follow for the rest of his life.

Khalifa says he almost flew for joy when he was told that the surgery had worked. “The best thing about this liver transplant journey was to see my brother Victorious's body accept the new organ. My family and I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the healthcare team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for saving my brother’s life.”

Khalifa expressed his hope that more people will think about donating organs to others, and that they will take that into account. Khalifa says: “Nothing compares to how good you feel when you give others a chance to lead a normal life. When you see that the result of your donation was successful, your heart will be filled with happiness and contentment.