Bana, seen pictured in the middle, had a rare condition called renal agenesis, meaning that she was born with one kidney. (Photo courtesy: Al Jalila Foundation)
A nine-year-old Sudanese girl has become the first child to receive a kidney transplant in Dubai.
According to Khaleej Times, Bana Nizar received a kidney from a deceased adult from Abu Dhabi after a five-hour surgery in mid-October.
Bana had a rare condition called renal agenesis, meaning that she was born with one kidney. The condition affects one in 1,000 children. Al Jalila Children's Hospital, where the surgery was performed, stated that a joint medical team from the hospital and the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences oversaw Bana’s case and did the surgery.
Joint medical team from @JalilaChildrens, UAE’s first & only dedicated children’s hospital, and @MBRUniversity successfully performed #Dubai’s first kidney transplant for a child in Dubai, patient is nine-year old Bana Nizar Hassan from Sudan. pic.twitter.com/SXAf8JMPXF
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) November 4, 2018
“Bana was on a transplant list for long since she had end stage kidney failure,” Dr. Farhad Janahi, a professor of surgery who was one of the leaders of the medical team told the newspaper.
He added that it was challenging to transplant an adult kidney in a child, but they were successful and she is recovering at home.
The new kidney is expected to last between 15-20 years, the doctor said.
