A seven-year-old kid whose pancreatic duct was severed in an accident at his Kolaghat home was treated at a city hospital, where he recovered.

The child from Kolaghat in East Midnapore had climbed on a bookshelf when it fell with Arjun buried under it, on May 1.

Under its impact, the boy's pancreatic duct was severed, and he also sustained injuries in his liver, said doctors.

Initially, the injured kid was taken to a private nursing home. Later, his family took him to Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur, as he required advanced care, said an official of the hospital.

"His father runs a bookstore. He was making metal bookshelves at home, and the boy had climbed onto one of them when he fell," said Gopal Adhikary, the boy's uncle.

On arrival at the Mukundapur hospital, doctors who examined him realised that his injuries were far more complex than a mere injury to the liver, which is the most common injury suffered in such accidents.

He underwent a CT Scan and an MRCP, a non-invasive imaging procedure. He also underwent an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which combines endoscopy and X-rays.

"We did an endoscopy. After entering the pancreatic duct, it was found that the duct needed a stent. Accordingly, a stent was inserted to bridge the gap between the two severed ends of the duct," said Pradeepta Kumar Sethy, director of gastroenterology at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur and Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, who led a team of doctors who treated the boy.

"The pancreatic juice, which helps in digestion, and flows through the duct, flowed into the abdomen in this case because of the cut injury to the duct. If this had not stopped, the juice would have damaged other organs like the kidneys," said Sethy.

The flow of the juice outside the pancreatic duct can cause other complications, like fistula, or can even lead to death, said Sethy.

"The most common injuries in such accidents are injuries to the liver, but they are self-limiting. The spleen also gets injured. But an injury in the pancreatic duct happens only when the accident is severe," he added.

After waiting for three months, the doctors removed the stent. "The boy is healthy and fine," said Sethy.