Dubai: An Emirati woman who had undergone 19 miscarriages finally got a baby after an Indian laparoscopic surgeon performed a procedure that saved the life of the child.
The mother was 16 weeks pregnant and surgeon Dr Hafeez Rahman said tying up the mouth of the uterus from above to stop the foetus aborting was a very difficult procedure. This is the first such surgery done in the UAE, he said.
The surgeon came from India when he was told about the case.
The one-hour ‘key-hole' surgery helped the mother continue her pregnancy till 34 weeks and she was able to deliver a healthy baby.
Dr Hafeez is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for conducting 50,000 laparoscopic surgeries around the world. He said ‘key-hole' surgery is the surgery of the future and puts the patients back on their feet quicker than conventional surgeries.
The 35-year-old mother is a doctor at Al Wasl Hospital. Her gynaecologist, Dr Abeer Al Gergawi, said, "She was obsessive about having another child." The doctor said the miscarriages were occurring because of a tear in the cervix which was not repaired properly. The doctor had two other children before she kept trying for the third.
Infertility also an issue
While this was a unique case, the chances of miscarriages here are high because of high incidence of obesity and diabetes among women. "About 25 per cent of pregnancies are aborted in the Hospital," said Dr Abeer. She said because of the high incidence of obesity among women, infertility is also a huge issue here.
"Dubai is now the best place for minimally invasive procedures," Dr. Hafeez Rahman told a press conference yesterday. He said this was a historical moment in the medical sector for the UAE. "This shows that laparoscopy can save a lot of pregnancies," he said.
The surgeon who is chairman of the International Modern Hospital, plans to bring "robotic surgery" to Dubai. "Open surgery is slowly vanishing," he said.
First time in UAE
- The procedure to save the baby is known as "abdominal cervix encirclage".
- This is the first such procedure done in the UAE.
- The operation was done by laparoscopy, or through a key-hole in the abdomen.
- This surgery was more difficult as the mother's cervix had a tear which was not corrected earlier.
