Doctors perform rare ‘double stomach’ surgery in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 23: Doctors at Medicare Speciality Hospital, Srinagar, have successfully performed a complex laparoscopic surgery on a 68-year-old man from Ganderbal suffering from a rare congenital condition called Gastric Duplication Cystic Disease, commonly referred to as a “double stomach.”

A statement said that the procedure, the first of its kind in the Kashmir valley, was conducted by Dr Rafiq Simnani, Senior Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeon, who led a team through a meticulous four-hour operation at Medicare Hospital. The condition, present since birth, involves the development of a duplicate diseased stomach connected to the normal one — a phenomenon documented in fewer than 100 cases worldwide and fewer than 10 in India.

According to hospital officials, the patient had been experiencing abdominal pain for nearly three months and was initially treated elsewhere for suspected gallbladder inflammation. Persistent symptoms prompted consultation at Medicare Hospital, where a CT scan revealed a large cystic swelling measuring 15 by 20 centimetres, raising suspicion of a gastric duplication cyst. The diagnosis was confirmed during surgery.

Dr Simnani explained that the procedure was performed using four small incisions ranging from five to twenty millimetres. “The duplicate stomach was tightly adhered to the liver, gallbladder, lesser sac, and greater omentum. It was carefully dissected free, separated from the normal stomach, and completely removed. The healthy stomach was then repaired,” he said.

The surgery involved minimal blood loss, and the patient was able to walk the next morning before being discharged in good health, Dr Simnani said.