50 kg ovarian tumour removed from Delhi woman

New Delhi: Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors at a private hospital in Delhi successfully removed an ovarian tumour weighing 50 kgs from a 52-year-old woman.

The woman Lakshmi (name changed), who is a local resident, had recently started experiencing difficulty in breathing, acute pain in her lower abdomen and consequently difficulty in walking and sleeping, the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that the woman had a giant, progressively expanding tumour in her ovary and this was putting pressure on her intestine (intestinal adhesions) causing acute stomach ache and inability to digest food.

"In over 30 years of my experience as a surgeon, I have never come across a case where the tumour weighed almost half the person's body weight," said Dr Arun Prasad, Senior Consultant, Surgical Gastroenterology & Bariatric Surgery.

She had been gaining weight for the past few months and weighed a total of 106 kgs. Additionally, the haemoglobin of the patient had dropped to six, causing severe anaemia. A team of surgeons conducted a three-and-a-half-hour surgery for extraction of this 50 kg tumour this week.

"Here, there was no space in the abdomen for insertion of equipment via laparoscopy or robot-assisted methods, hence we had to resort to traditional methods of surgery," Prasad said.

"With the combined effort of experts from the Gastroenterology, Gyanecology and Anesthesiology teams, the extraction was done successfully," he added. A key surgeon on this case, Dr Abhishek Tewari, said, "Fortunately, the tumour was benign and the patient had no comorbidities, which enabled a faster recovery. Post-surgery her weight dropped to 56 kgs."

According to Dr Geeta Chadha, Senior Consultant, Gyanecology and Obstetrics, due to the giant tumour, the intestinal tract throughout was compressed and flattened which was putting pressure on the gut leading to a risk of rupture in the ovary. "The surgery had to be done with utmost precision, keeping in mind seamless extraction of the tumour and simultaneously ensuring no harm is caused to the ovary or the gut," she said.

According to the hospital, post-surgery the patient has shown tremendous recovery and is set to be discharged on Saturday evening.