Our association with SALI – South Asian Liver Institute

The South Asian Team Experience

The team at South Asian, led by Prof. Cherian, has been diagnosing and managing liver disease for the last 14 years. The heart of South Asian is a group of health care professionals specializing in the medical aspects of liver disease (hepatologists), critical care of patients with liver failure, liver surgery, liver imaging (Radiologists) trained in some of the busiest liver centers in the world. Our integrated team consists of dedicated nurses, transplant coordinators, dieticians, physiotherapists, social workers, administrators and other service providers whose training has been tailored to patients with liver disease. The multidisciplinary team looking after a small group of patients, provide unparalleled personalized patient care. We are committed to extending comprehensive and lifelong follow-up to all our patients even after discharge.

In the last 3 years, SALI has achieved a 91% survival for our transplant patients. This outcome is comparable to the results from the best liver hospitals in the world, and certainly one of the best in the country. Not a single patient has been lost in the last 50 liver cancer resections done, despite the fact that they were some of the most complex liver resections in the country.

About Prof. Dr. Tom Cherian – Founder

7 YEARS OF SURGICAL EXPERIENCE IN UK

5 YEARS AT KING’S COLLEGE – the world’s top liver institute.

• Spent over 16 years in Liver & Pancreatic Surgery performing over 650 Liver Transplants (>65 children) to date.
• Performed over 250 complex HPB / Liver Cancer resections.
• 8 Travel Grants / Bursaries (Scientific Awards) in the UK.
• 84 Published Papers/Abstracts & over 100 International Presentations.

Dr. Cherian has put in extensive efforts to develop Liver Transplant in India

Performed the 1^st successful liver transplant in several key hospitals – GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, Osmania Hospital, Hyderabad, NIMS Hyderabad.

Chief Surgeon for the first successful Transplant Programme in Andhra Pradesh and performed Andhra Pradesh’s first living donor Liver Transplant.

Director, Liver Surgery in practice. India’s first liver surgery course, Mumbai. 2015.

Senior advisor (Telangana State) for Liver Transplantation, since 2014.

Created a network of over 20 Liver Clinics across the country.

Few Complex Surgeries by the South Asian Team

OPERATION FOR A LARGE LIVER CANCER INVOLVING MULTIPLE PARTS OF THE LIVER

Mr. CKR, 61 years old, had pain for 2 months. CT Scan revealed a lump in the right side of the liver suggestive of a Liver cancer (HCC). As the tumor involved over 6 segments of the liver, he was refused surgery elsewhere. However, we performed pre-operative special chemotherapy, called TACE and, after a month, as the left lateral liver was still healthy with no spread, an extended right hepatectomy was done. He went home safely on day 10.

KEY HOLE SURGERY IS POSSIBLE FOR MAJOR LIVER CANCERS TOO

Mr TB, 56 years old, with hepatitis B was found to have a mass in the liver. Following assessment and diagnostic laparoscopy, a fully laparoscopic Right Posterior Sectionectomy was performed. The operative time was about 6 hours, and he did not even require a blood transfusion. Post-operatively, he went home on Day 5. The team under Dr. Cherian was the 1st to carry out this major key hole (laparoscopic) liver surgery, in Hyderabad.

SPLIT LIVER TRANSPLANT. ONE LIVER FOR TWO PATIENTS!

As there are not enough donors for the patients who need a transplant we used a complex technique to split one liver into two and use them for 2 patients! Understandably this requires vast experience and advanced surgical skills. However due to the time Prof. Cherian spent in London, we were able to split successfully with one part given to a child and the other used for an adult.

DEADLY CHOLANGIO CARCINOMA, AS CHEMO & RADIOTHERAPY INEFFECTIVE

Mr SS, 49 year old male diabetic had jaundice since 15 days. Diagnosed elsewhere with just gall stones, he had a ERCP & stent, with plans for gall bladder removal. But on complete work up with us a soft tissue mass was found around the stent. Now diagnosed as Hilar cholangiocarcinoma TYPE III b, he underwent extended modified left hepatectomy. Histology confirmed a cholangioCa, completely removed. No recurrence so far.

CURATIVE OPERATION FOR GALL BLADDER CANCER

Mrs AJ, a 56 year old had increasing jaundice, abdominal pain and weight loss. CT revealed mass in the liver identified as an ‘inoperable’ cancer of gall bladder (Ca GB) and metal bile stents were inserted. The SouthAsian team performed a modified extended right hepatectomy with CBD excision with Duodenal wall excision and ROUX en Y Hepatico jejenostomy. Recovery uneventful she was discharged on the 15th day after surgery. Histopathology confirmed complete resection.

CAVO-PORTAL TRANSPOSITION FOR COMPLETE PORTAL VEIN THROMBOSIS

A 41 year old from Nagpur searched and found us as he was refused liver transplantation in most other units due to a complete meso-portal thrombosis. We fashioned a vascular conduit to allow diversion of blood from the kidney to the new liver thereby allowing us to complete the transplant.