A woman, whose stomach started to swell out, was shocked when doctors found the cause: a giant cyst holding 24 litres of fluid.
The 24-year-old’s stomach was hugely swollen by the time she went to the hospital for surgery, following a year of the huge mass growing.
Upon inspection in the gynaecology clinic, she was diagnosed with a benign ovarian cyst following an ultrasound.
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Ovarian cysts measuring over 10cm in diameter are considered ‘giant’, reports Need To Know, with the woman’s cyst measuring 50cm in length.
The unnamed patient had previously been diagnosed with a ‘small’ ovarian cyst 18 months prior to the surgery, but the mass continued to grow exponentially over time.
She reported no significant pain, weight loss or vomiting, but had sought help at various health facilities and clinics prior to the hospital visit.
While she had few symptoms, doctors found she had significant lordosis – an increased curve of the lower back – due to the weight of the stomach mass.
The woman agreed to have surgery to remove the cyst and drain the liquid inside, which totalled 24 litres and was made up of blood and serum (the clear liquid part of the blood).
Surgeons reported that her uterus, left fallopian tube and ovary appeared normal, and found no evidence of extra ovarian residual disease.
Following surgery, the patient underwent two weeks of physiotherapy to help regain her usual posture and make a full recovery.
Follow-up appointments found no further issues, according to a medical report released last year on the case.
The woman was treated at a hospital in Ghana, where doctors say data on such conditions is “limited”.
Doctors reported that, to the best of their knowledge, this was the first case of such a large ovarian cyst reported in the country.
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