Gurgaon, Dec 28 (IANS): A 66-year-old patient from the Netherlands, who was suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysm, underwent a successful surgery at a hospital here, authorities said on Sunday.

Deiter Tants, who was staying in Dehradun, complained of severe pain in his abdomen. Though he consulted a local doctor there, he was immediately referred to Gurgaon-based Medanta - The Medicity hospital, where a CT scan revealed a ruptured abdomen aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a localised enlargement of the abdominal aorta. 

The condition usually shows no symptoms except when aorta gets ruptured. The symptoms include severe abdominal, back or leg pain.

According to medical science, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is one of the most fatal surgical emergencies, with an overall mortality rate of 90 percent. 

On operating the patient, the doctors found over 3 liters of blood clots in his abdomen and ballooning and rupture of the main blood vessel of the body.

"It was a critical situation, the rupture and bleeding was controlled first and then the main blood vessel (aorta) was replaced with a plastic tube graft to restore the blood flow to the rest of the body," said Rajiv Parakh, chairman of peripheral vascular and endovascular sciences at Medanta - The Medicity.

Parakh said the medical team had to wait for five days to reduce the abdominal aorta swelling of the patient, after which the abdomen was closed and the surgery was completed.

Following the surgery, Tants was kept under observation and later discharged on December 12 when he showed no sign of any complications.

Speaking about his condition, Tants said: "India has some of the best medical technologies. Had I been in my home country and under the same conditions, I would not have survived."