Paediatric surgeons get a lesson from experts in Mumbai

It was study time for paediatric surgeons in Mumbai as the pioneers of genital abnormality surgeries — Dr Alberto Peña and Dr Andrea Bischoff — conducted a live operative workshop on paediatric colorectal surgeries at KEM Hospital in Parel which concluded on Saturday.

Dr Peña is presently the founding director of the Colorectal Centre for Children at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, Cincinnati in Ohio, USA.

Dr Shubhangi Parker, acting dean at KEM Hospital, said, “Peña has vast experience in the subject and has operated on over 3,000 patients with anorectal malformations over the past 40 years. It was an honour to see him operate at KEM Hospital.”

The couple operated on three children — two girls and a boy — who were born without an anal cavity.

“Although genital abnormality surgeries are done routinely in civic hospitals, we had the opportunity to see the pioneer operate live,” said a pediatric surgeon. The surgeries were telecast live to 250 doctors sitting at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel.

The course included live operative demonstration of surgeries for various types of congenital anorectal malformations in children along with a series of lectures discussing the management of all types of anorectal malformations and, specifically, the treatment of difficult cases with special emphasis on management of bowel incontinence and bowel-training programme.