BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 26th November 2025: A 43-day-old infant from Amarpur has undergone a rare and delicate surgery to remove a congenital branchial cyst, reported to be the youngest case of its kind operated on in India.
The baby, born to Uttam Kumar Jamatia and Khafuti Tripura of Malbasa on October 13 at Amarpur Government Hospital, had been diagnosed with the cyst during an antenatal check-up when the mother was six months pregnant. Although the delivery was normal, doctors had anticipated that specialised surgical care might be required depending on the cyst’s progression.
Following the birth, the newborn was referred to paediatric surgeon Dr. Aniruddha Basak for further evaluation. Dr. Basak conducted an initial assessment when the child was 17 days old and advised a set of diagnostic tests. During this period, the cyst began to grow rapidly, prompting the anxious parents to seek immediate medical attention once again.
The infant was admitted on November 21 for stabilisation and pre-operative planning. After thorough evaluation, the surgical team performed the procedure on November 25. The two-hour operation was completed successfully, with no complications reported.
Dr. Basak said the surgery posed exceptional challenges due to the child’s age. Citing available medical records, he noted that branchial cyst surgeries are typically not performed on infants younger than eight months. He added that this marks the first recorded instance in the country of a branchial cyst being operated on in a 43-day-old newborn, terming it a significant milestone for paediatric surgical care in Tripura.
