"This is a very rare and particularly complex case because the patient had lost his entire stomach and no longer had a natural food passage, making the restoration of digestive function a major challenge," Dr Nguyen Xuan Hoa, deputy director of the center for gastrointestinal surgery and pelvic floor disorders at the Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, said on Aug. 23.
The patient was initially treated at a local medical facility in his hometown in Can Tho City, where he underwent total gastrectomy and spent two months in intensive care before being transferred to Viet Duc University Hospital.
An endoscopy showed severe scarring and complete narrowing of his oral cavity and hypopharynx caused by chemical burns.
He had no natural food passage or stomach left.
According to doctors at Viet Duc, the treatment goal was not only to reconstruct his digestive tract but also to restore his ability to eat and drink by mouth. This posed a major challenge for the surgical team.
