Zaverbai Shyamji Nagda, an 87-year-old resident of Diva, Thane district, has undergone laparoscopic excision for a congenital duodenal duplication cyst (DDC) — an extremely rare situation, according to doctors at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, who performed the complex procedure. According to doctors, DDC is typically diagnosed and treated in infancy or early childhood.

“Though quite common in the younger or infant population, DDC — where a cyst forms alongside the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine — is an extremely uncommon congenital condition to have been diagnosed at this age. In this unusual case, the cyst remained undiagnosed for decades and was discovered only after the patient began experiencing persistent abdominal discomfort, digestive issues, and vomiting,” said Dr Abhijit Joshi, general and advanced laparoscopic surgeon, LH Hiranandani Hospital, adding that the patient had had this condition since her birth, but it was diagnosed only now.