New Delhi: In a rare case, doctors at a private hospital recently removed 14 live round worms (measuring 15 to 20 cm each) from a patient’s bile duct.
Sunita, 38, came to Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, with complaints of severe abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and intermittent episodes of jaundice for the past six months.
The patient underwent an abdominal CT scan, which revealed the presence of worms in the bile duct that connects the liver and intestines.
The patient then underwent an endoscopic procedure (ERCP), which revealed multiple live round worms, each worm measured nearly 15 to 20 cm in length. All the worms were removed using snares and forceps.
While it is common to find worms in intestines, they are uncommon in the bile duct. India has one of the highest number of cases related to worms as de-worming medication is not routinely administered, said doctors.
“Usually round worms are found in the intestines. Occasionally, they can migrate to the bile duct causing pain, fever and jaundice to the patient. There have been cases where we have seen two or three round worms in the bile duct. However, to see 14 worms is rare.
The patient had taken a second opinion at other hospitals, which had misdiagnosed the condition and prescribed antibiotics for the pain. Once properly diagnosed, we managed to remove all the round worms endoscopically in a single session,” said Dr Arvind Khurana, HoD, Gastroenterology.
Round worms infest in the human gut, where they feed and reproduce. The worm’s life cycle begins when the eggs from the adult worms living in the intestine are passed out with the feces. This leads to contamination of the soil. These infections are seen in rural areas where the soil is used as a fertiliser for fruits and vegetables.
