NEW DELHI: In a rare case, doctors at a private hospital here removed 14 live roundworms, measuring 15-20cm each, from a 38-year-old woman’s bile duct, the medical centre said here.
The worms were removed endoscopically without surgery at the Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, it said in a statement.
The patient had been suffering from severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea and intermittent episodes of jaundice for the last six months and was advised to undergo an abdominal CT scan which revealed the presence of worms in the bile duct, which connects the liver to the intestines.
The patient then underwent an endoscopic procedure which showed multiple live roundworms, each worm measured nearly 15-20cm, said Dr Arvind Khurana, the head of the department of gastroenterology at the hospital.
The worms were removed using snares and forceps.
While it is common to find worms in the intestines, they are rarely found in the bile duct, doctors said.
India has one of the highest number of cases related to worms as de-worming medication is not routinely administered to the people.
Usually roundworms are found in the intestines. Occasionally they can migrate to the bile duct causing pain, fever and jaundice. There have been cases where we have seen two or three roundworms in the bile duct,” he said.
“However, to see 14 worms is extremely rare,” Dr Khurana added. PTI
