Mumbai Medical Breakthrough: 14-Month-Old Severely Malnourished Child Undergoes Life-Saving Scarless Endoscopic Surgery At Gleneagles Hospital

Mumbai, Dec 24: In a first for India, a 14-month-old severely underweight child has undergone a groundbreaking Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) procedure to treat a rare condition called Achalasia Cardia.

The child, Neeraj Balu Kavar from Chinchore village in Nashik, weighed just 5.9 kg and was unable to swallow solid or liquid food due to a tight blockage at the junction of his food pipe and stomach.

Persistent Vomiting, Pneumonia And Severe Malnutrition

Neeraj’s condition had caused persistent vomiting, repeated pneumonia, poor growth and severe malnutrition. Initially healthy, he began showing symptoms at around nine months, when he could no longer tolerate solid foods. Over the next three months, his weight dropped, and he suffered multiple chest infections.

Diagnosis At Mumbai Hospital After Failed Local Treatment

After inconclusive visits to local clinics, Neeraj’s family approached Gleneagles Hospital, Mumbai. Detailed investigations, including CT scans and endoscopy, revealed a massively dilated food pipe and a critically tight valve preventing food from entering the stomach. Conventional treatments like balloon dilation or open surgery were deemed too risky given his fragile condition.

Multidisciplinary Team Performs Historic POEM Procedure

A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Vibhor Borkar, Dr Shankar Zanvar and Dr Rajan Daftari successfully performed the POEM procedure, marking Neeraj as the youngest and smallest child in India to receive this treatment.

Dr Borkar explained, “Achalasia Cardia affects roughly one in five lakh infants. POEM is minimally invasive, extremely safe, and avoids external cuts or scars.”

Steady Recovery And Return To Normal Feeding

Post-procedure, Neeraj was supported with tube feeding to ensure proper nutrition. Today, he is nutritionally stable, hydrated and able to swallow food without vomiting. His mother, Pramila Kavar, described the recovery as “a miracle” and expressed immense gratitude to the medical team.

Why POEM Is A Game-Changer For High-Risk Children

POEM offers several advantages over other treatments: it is scarless, minimally invasive, ideal for high-risk or underweight children, and has a very low recurrence rate compared to balloon dilation. Unlike traditional surgery, POEM avoids external wounds, reduces trauma and allows faster recovery, with most patients able to eat within two days.

“POEM allows us to safely open the abnormally tight valve endoscopically, even in very high-risk cases, enabling normal swallowing without external surgery—an option especially critical when balloon dilation is unsuitable and carries a high recurrence rate,” said Dr. Shankar Zanwar, Senior Consultant Gastroenterologist, Gleneagles Hospital, Mumbai.

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Hope For Early Intervention In Rare Paediatric Disorders

This milestone highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely intervention in rare paediatric gastrointestinal conditions, offering children like Neeraj a chance at normal growth and a healthy life.

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