Dr. Johnny Hong
Professor
Mark B. Adams Chair in Surgery and director of Solid Organ Transplantation
Medical College of Wisconsin
At just 54 days old, Dominic Gibson became the youngest person ever to undergo a life-saving liver tumor removal surgery.
Gibson was born with a tumor consuming nearly 80 percent of his liver. Removing it would leave Gibson with a liver too small to allow him to survive.
Waiting for a liver transplant would allow the cancerous tumor to continue to grow and possibly spread.
He was brought to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where Dr. Johnny Hong successfully performed a world premiere surgical procedure.
Hong and his team cut off the blood supply to the tumor and isolated the healthy part of the liver. This allowed the healthy part of the liver to continue to grow. Once the healthy portion of the liver was big enough to support Gibson, Hong removed the tumor.
Today, Gibson is a happy, healthy and, most importantly, cancer-free 1 year old. He continues to hit his developmental milestones on time, thanks to the work of Hong and his team at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
“It is our obligation to push the envelope and advocate for the patient,” Hong said.
Thanks to Hong’s innovative and proactive thinking, CHW continues to be on the leading edge of patient care. Hong hopes that the technique can provide hope and more treatment options for patients with similar situations.
