Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang underwent a successful five-hour liver transplant on Wednesday due to a long-term disease that attacks the liver, the Department of Health confirmed.
”The operation was successful and uneventful,” said Professor Jeff Wing, head of the department of medicine at the Johannesburg Hospital and Wits University.The surgery was elective, Wing said in a statement issued by the Department of Health.
Auto-immune hepatitis, associated with severe portal hypertension, was diagnosed after Tshabalala-Msimang was re-admitted to the Johannesburg Hospital last month.
Wing said the disease was ”long-term”, in which the body’s immune system attacked liver cells, leading to unresolved inflammation of the liver.
”This can result in damage to the portal venous drainage system leading to frequent internal bleeding, and liver failure,” Wing said in a statement.
”Liver transplantation is an effective and essential procedure under these circumstances.”
The transplant was done at the Donald Gordon Medi-Clinic Medical Centre by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists. Tshabalala-Msimang required continuous in-patient treatment and monitoring to achieve stability prior to the operation.
Tshabalala-Msimang was expected to be in hospital for a ”least a month” followed by a recuperation period, Wing said.
Tshabalala-Msimang was re-admitted to the Johannesburg Hospital on February 20 where she underwent ”extensive investigation” for anemia and pleural effusion. – Sapa