Doctor hailed 'miracle worker' as he cuts short holiday to carry out revolutionary new op to save baby's life

Sep 9 2010 

By Maria Croce

A SCOTS doctor rushed back from holiday - to invent a radical new medical procedure to save a tot's life.

Dr Jo Bhattacharya was yesterday hailed a "miracle worker" by the parents of Pierce Drennan, who suffered a rare brain disorder.

The doc was on holiday in Cornwall when he heard about Pierce's plight.

He abandoned his break to carry out eight brain ops on the tot, who was just days from death.

Thanks to his daring surgical technique, little Pierce, now 18 months old, can look forward to a long and happy life.

And parents Padraig and Sandra came to Glasgow yesterday to say thank you in person to the doctor and his team.

Padraig, 43, said: "Dr Bhattacharya is a miracle worker. He actually carried out eight miracles - we can't thank him enough.

"He was very clear about the risks involved, but we had run out of options. From the moment we met him we had great confidence in him."

Dr Bhattachayra, based in Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, is a consultant interventional radiologist - and one of only two UK experts on the vein of Galen brain malformation.

The condition means a short circuit in the brain causes a vein to swell with blood to the size of a small egg.

That puts pressure on the heart and cuts oxygen to the brain. If left untreated, babies can die in days or can suffer brain damage.

Pierce had a complex form of the condition - and after seven operations, Dr Bhattachayra came up with the radical plan to save him In a three-hour op, he inserted a tube through the jugular vein into the tot's brain - then injected a liquid called Onyx that hardens like chewing gum.

That sealed off blood vessels during the delicate surgery.

Now the procedure will be used to help save the lives of babies with similar conditions.

The doctor said: "This breakthrough was a real team effort.

"I had no hesitation in cutting my holiday short and rushing back as time is the essence with this condition.

"Now, seeing Pierce toddling around the room ... I just can't tell you how happy we all feel."

Mum Sandra, 42, of Rugby, Warwickshire, said: "We were so lucky the condition was diagnosed in time - it's scary that we could have lost Pierce.

"We're lucky Dr Bhattacharya was able to come back to Scotland to treat him."

(dailyrecord.co.uk)