Doctors save Russian boy from lung transplant with alternative surgery

MGM Healthcare doctors in Chennai, India, treated a 15-month-old Russian boy who suffered from multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare disorder where cells multiply abnormally in various organs.

The boy arrived in Chennai via airlift in May 2026 for a possible bilateral lung transplant to address severe lung damage. Instead of proceeding with the transplant, a multidisciplinary medical team opted to try other treatments first.

The boy underwent a bullectomy to remove air-filled spaces in his lungs, repeated chest drain procedures to help the lungs re-expand, and a thoracoscopic atypical lung resection to remove diseased tissue. The child remained in intensive care and on mechanical ventilation until September. Following these procedures, his respiratory condition improved to the point that he no longer requires a lung transplant. K. R.

Balakrishnan and Suresh Rao K.G. of MGM Healthcare stated that the recovery showed that some children with severe lung involvement can recover with supportive care. The team avoided the transplant because the boy responded successfully to the surgical and medical interventions.