Docs remove 1.25 kg fibroid uterus

Mumbai: In a noteworthy medical feat, doctors at a private hospital extricated a massive 1.25 kg Fibroid Uterus from a civic school-teacher through a bloodless ‘minimally invasive keyhole surgery’, officials said.

The patient is 49-year-old who suffered from severe anemia and abnormal uterine bleeding due to multiple fibroids for a long time, and a team of medicos led by Dr. Hemakshi Mehta performed a total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) on her last week.

“The patient dismissed her bleeding as part of perimenopause, silently endured the worsening symptoms for years, and unwittingly lived with more than 10 fibroids, some as big as 7-8 cms,” explained Dr. Mehta post-surgery.

A scan confirmed an enlarged uterus – the size of a 6-month pregnancy – and with the school vacations on, the patient opted for the surgery to remove her fibroid uterus and end her long burden of suffering.

Though the MIKS is considered safer with quicker recovery, the laparoscopic hysterectomy for such a large uterus is also technically complex, admitted the doctor.

Accepting the medical challenge, Dr. Mehta and her team made four tiny abdominal incisions, using precision instruments to remove the uterus in pieces via morcellation.

“The procedure avoided a large 6-8 inch abdominal cut, and it offered all the advantages of a MIKS to the patient, like less pain, reduced blood loss, minimal scarring and faster healing,” said Dr. Mehta of the Apex Superspeciality Hospital, Borivali.

A critical aspect of the entire procedure was ureterolysis, carefully identifying and safeguarding the ureters, which are at higher risk during laparoscopic procedures involving distorted pelvic anatomy.

Accordingly, the medicos meticulously dissected the retroperitoneal space, ensuring safe removal of the huge fibroid uterus without any complications.

Women should heed fibroid signs

Dr. Hemakshi Mehta of the ASH Borivali, said that women often ignore fibroid-related symptoms until it is too late or complicated and this case also highlighted the power of early intervention besides the value of MIKS expertise along with safe, advanced surgical care.

“In this patient, we managed a totally bloodless procedure, the patient was up and walking within 24 hours. She was discharged on the third day and is expected to make a full recovery within a week, significantly faster than the almost month-long recovery period that goes with the traditional open surgery,” a beaming Dr. Mehta told ‘The Perfect Voice’.

She added that such fibroids are common among women in the 30-50 age groups, but rare below 20 years, though the myomas tend to shrink post-menopause.

Not removing such growths can lead to clots, difficulty managing periods, pregnancy issues, urinary-related problems, bowel hassles, infertility, miscarriages, pregnancy effects on surrounding organs, etc., Dr. Mehta cautioned.