Selected Work

A young woman was brought to Dr. Sanjay Sonar with severe abdominal pain shortly after undergoing a routine gynecological procedure at another hospital. Although the procedure is commonly performed and is generally safe, her symptoms suggested that something was seriously wrong. On examination, Dr. Sonar suspected that the intestine had been injured during the procedure, allowing bowel contents to leak into the abdomen and causing a life-threatening infection. Recognising the urgency of the situation, he immediately took her up for emergency surgery.

During the operation, the diagnosis was confirmed. To control the infection and give the injured bowel the best chance to heal, Dr. Sonar repaired the damage and temporarily diverted the large intestine, preventing waste from passing through the injured segment. After a few months, once the healing was complete, a second surgery was performed to restore the normal passage of the bowel. The patient recovered well and was able to return to her normal life.

The story, however, didn't end there. Two years later, the same patient called Dr. Sonar with wonderful news—she had delivered a healthy baby. She later visited the clinic with her child to thank him for the timely treatment that had not only saved her life but also preserved her ability to become a mother. For Dr. Sonar, it remains one of those rare cases where the greatest reward wasn't just a successful surgery, but seeing a patient return with a new chapter of her life in her arms.

A 14-year-old boy was brought to Dr. Sanjay Sonar after his family noticed swelling in one of his kidneys during evaluation. Further investigations revealed a Pelvi-Ureteric Junction (PUJ) obstruction, a condition where the flow of urine from the kidney into the ureter is blocked, causing the kidney to enlarge over time. Left untreated, the obstruction can gradually damage the kidney and affect its function.

The plan was to perform a laparoscopic PUJ repair, but during surgery, Dr. Sonar discovered that the obstruction was more complex than the scans had suggested. An abnormally placed blood vessel supplying the kidney was crossing the junction and contributing to the blockage. The challenge was to carefully separate the ureter from this vital blood vessel without compromising the kidney's blood supply or causing significant bleeding. Once the blood vessel was preserved, the obstructed segment was reconstructed using a laparoscopic pyeloplasty, restoring the normal flow of urine from the kidney.

The boy recovered well after surgery, and the kidney drainage returned to normal, preserving its function. For Dr. Sonar, the case remains memorable not only because of its technical complexity but also because the patient was the grandson of his own son's English teacher. It serves as a reminder that successful surgery often depends on adapting to unexpected findings in the operating room while keeping the patient's long-term wellbeing at the centre of every decision.

A young woman visited Dr. Sanjay Sonar after being diagnosed with a small, benign thyroid nodule that required surgical removal. While the condition itself was not cancerous, it could continue to grow and eventually cause discomfort or other complications if left untreated. The standard treatment was an open thyroidectomy, which would have left a permanent scar across the front of her neck. With her wedding approaching, the patient was understandably concerned about carrying a visible reminder of the surgery for the rest of her life.

Instead of viewing this as a purely cosmetic concern, Dr. Sonar explored whether the operation could be performed using a minimally invasive approach. At the time, laparoscopic thyroidectomy was still an emerging technique, with only a handful of cases reported internationally. After studying one of the earliest published techniques from Hong Kong, he adapted the procedure and successfully performed one of the first laparoscopic thyroidectomies in India. By approaching the thyroid through small, strategically placed incisions hidden beneath clothing, he was able to remove the nodule safely while preserving the natural appearance of the neck.

The patient recovered well, her biopsy confirmed the nodule was benign, and she was able to return to her daily life without the visible neck scar associated with conventional surgery. Beyond the technical achievement, the case demonstrates how modern surgery can be tailored not only to treat the disease effectively, but also to respect a patient's lifestyle, confidence, and personal priorities. Sometimes, the best surgical outcome is one that heals the patient without leaving a visible reminder behind.

A woman from Dadar came to Dr. Sanjay Sonar after undergoing three surgeries for an incisional hernia, yet the hernia kept returning. By the time she sought another opinion, she was living with a large recurrent hernia. Rather than rushing into another operation, Dr. Sonar advised waiting for nearly 18 months after her last surgery so the abdominal tissues could heal and strengthen, creating the best possible conditions for a lasting repair.

Given her history of multiple recurrences, a conventional repair was unlikely to provide a durable solution. Instead, Dr. Sonar performed an advanced Posterior Component Separation (Transversus Abdominis Release - TAR), a technique that allows the abdominal wall to be reconstructed and reinforced with a large polypropylene mesh placed behind the rectus muscles. This approach provides broader support while reducing tension on the repair, improving the chances of long-term success.

The patient recovered well and has continued to do exceptionally well on follow-up. More than five years after the surgery, there has been no recurrence of the hernia, despite three previous failed repairs. The case highlights how thoughtful surgical planning, appropriate timing, and advanced reconstruction techniques can make a meaningful difference in complex recurrent hernia cases.