Nigerian Surgeon Successfully Removes World’s Largest Fibroid Tumor In Lagos.

A Lagos hospital has successfully removed the world’s largest fibroid tumour from a patient.

An independent laboratory has confirmed the tumour weighed 26 kilogram message, double the size removed by Indian doctors around the same time last year.

The medical team at SAFEHANDS HOSPITAL, Old Ojo Road, Lagos, led by the Director of Anaesthesia, Emergency and Family Medicine, Dr INNOCENT OKOAWO. removed the tumour from a 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Abimbola Esther Akinade.

The three-hour long surgery was performed in February 2014, two months before doctors in the south Indian city of Chennai performed a similar surgery to remove a 13.6kg fibroid tumour from a 52-year-old woman simply called Latha.

Until now, the Indian doctors were known to have the record for removing the largest fibroid tumour.

Dr Okoawo told AfricaNewesday, that an independent confirmation of the size of the tumour he successfully removed prompted him to seek to correct the record. Seramoses Diagnostics, also based in Lagos, confirmed the tumour weighed 26kg and was 31cm in diameter.

Additionally, 32 other smaller fibroids were removed.

Speaking to AfricaNewsday in a telephone interview, the patient, Miss Akina death, said: “It was a real miracle.”

She realised he had a fibroid tumour seven years earlier, while she was a trainee nurse. Nothing could be done sooner because of her inability to pay the cost of surgery and her dreading of surgery.

“I was under a lot of pressure,” she said. “My menstrual periods were very irregular, sometimes delayed for 10 days. I suffered from fatigue a lot.”

Miss Akinade ruefully said: “Sometimes people who thought I was pregnant would say ‘I hope you will deliver safely’ and that made me furious.”

“It was not easy,” she said. Even a doctor in the hospital where she was a trainee nurse told her no hospital would be able to carry out a successful surgery.

In an emailed comment, Dr Okoawo noted: “The double icing on the cake is the fact that she received no transfusion and her uterus was not removed even when we removed 32 additional smaller fibroids.”

The patient, Miss Akinade, opted for bloodless surgery on religious grounds, however, increasing reports show that bloodless surgery has led to quicker recovery of patients and as a result has become more popular. Fear of infection and the desire to contain the cost of treatment are other reasons some opt for bloodless surgery.

He told AfricaNewsday in a telephone interview that Miss Akinade is now fully recovered and her current photographs demonstrate the major transformation she has gone through after the surgery.

Miss Akinade said on telephone: “Now I am sound.” She currently lives in Ijoko area of Otta, Ogun State, near Lagos, where she is currently a trader and spends time in the ministry, preaching the good news of the Bible.
Cc Marywealthblog
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIBROID

Fibroids are the most frequently seen tumors of the female reproductive system. Fibroids, also known as uterine myomas, leiomyomas, or fibromas, are firm, compact tumors that are made of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue that develop in the uterus. It is estimated that between 20 to 50 percent of women of reproductive age have fibroids, although not all are diagnosed. Some estimates state that up to 30 to 77 percent of women will develop fibroids sometime during their childbearing years, although only about one-third of these fibroids are large enough to be detected by a health care provider during a physical examination.

In more than 99 percent of fibroid cases, the tumors are benign (non-cancerous). These tumors are not associated with cancer and do not increase a woman’s risk for uterine cancer. They may range in size, from the size of a pea to the size of a softball or small grapefruit.

What causes fibroid tumors?

While it is not clearly known what causes fibroids, it is believed that each tumor develops from an aberrant muscle cell in the uterus, which multiplies rapidly because of the influence of estrogen.

The exact reasons why some women develop fibroids are unknown. Fibroids tend to run in families, and affected women often have a family history of fibroids. Women of African descent are two to three times more likely to develop fibroids than women of other races.

Fibroids grow in response to stimulation by the hormone estrogen, produced naturally in the body. These growths can show up as early as age 20, but tend to shrink after menopause when the body stops producing large amounts of estrogen.

Fibroids can be tiny and cause no problems, or they also can grow to weigh several pounds. Fibroids generally tend to grow slowly.

The following factors have been associated with the presence of fibroids:

Being overweight , obesity

Never having given birth to a child (called nulliparity)

Onset of the menstrual period prior to age 10

African American heritage (occurring 3-9 times more often than in Caucasian women)

Who is at risk for fibroid tumors?

Women who are approaching menopause are at the greatest risk for fibroids because of their long exposure to high levels of estrogen. Women who are obese and of African-American heritage also seem to be at an increased risk, although the reasons for this are not clearly understood.

Research has also shown that some factors may protect a woman from developing fibroids. Some studies, of small numbers of women, have indicated that women who have had two liveborn children have one-half the risk of developing uterine fibroids compared to women who have had no children. Scientists are not sure whether having children actually protected women from fibroids or whether fibroids were a factor in infertility in women who had no children. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is conducting further research on this topic and other factors that may affect the diagnosis and treatment of fibroids.

What are the symptoms of fibroids?

Some women who have fibroids have no symptoms, or have only mild symptoms, while other women have more severe, disruptive symptoms. The following are the most common symptoms for uterine fibroids, however, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms of uterine fibroids may include:

Heavy or prolonged menstrual periods

Abnormal bleeding between menstrual periods

Pelvic pain (caused as the tumor presses on pelvic organs)

Frequent urination

Low back pain

Pain during intercourse

A firm mass, often located near the middle of the pelvis, which can be felt by the physician

In some cases, the heavy or prolonged menstrual periods, or the abnormal bleeding between periods, can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, which also requires treatment.

How are fibroids diagnosed?

Fibroids are most often found during a routine pelvic examination. This, along with an abdominal examination, may indicate a firm, irregular pelvic mass to the physician. In addition to a complete medical history and physical and pelvic and/or abdominal examination, diagnostic procedures for uterine fibroids may include:

X-ray. Electromagnetic energy used to produce images of bones and internal organs onto film.

Transvaginal ultrasound (also called ultrasonography). An ultrasound test using a small instrument, called a transducer, that is placed in the vagina.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A non-invasive procedure that produces a two-dimensional view of an internal organ or structure.

Hysterosalpingography. X-ray examination of the uterus and fallopian tubes that uses dye and is often performed to rule out tubal obstruction.

Hysteroscopy. Visual examination of the canal of the cervix and the interior of the uterus using a viewing instrument (hysteroscope) inserted through the vagina.

Endometrial biopsy. A procedure in which a sample of tissue is obtained through a tube which is inserted into the uterus.

Blood test (to check for iron-deficiency anemia if heavy bleeding is caused by the tumor).

Treatment for fibroids

Since most fibroids stop growing or may even shrink as a woman approaches menopause, the health care provider may simply suggest “watchful waiting.” With this approach, the health care provider monitors the woman’s symptoms carefully to ensure that there are no significant changes or developments and that the fibroids are not growing.

In women whose fibroids are large or are causing significant symptoms, treatment may be necessary. Treatment will be determined by your health care provider(s) based on:

Your overall health and medical history

Extent of the disease

Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies

Expectations for the course of the disease

Your opinion or preference

Your desire for pregnancy

In general, treatment for fibroids may include:

Hysterectomy. Hysterectomies involve the surgical removal of the entire uterus. Fibroids remain the number one reason for hysterectomies in the United States.

Conservative surgical therapy.

Conservative surgical therapy uses a procedure called a

myomectomy . With this approach, physicians will remove the fibroids, but leave the uterus intact to enable a future pregnancy.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists). This approach lowers levels of estrogen and triggers a “medical menopause.” Sometimes GnRH agonists are used to shrink the fibroid, making surgical treatment easier.

Anti-hormonal agents. Certain drugs oppose estrogen (such as progestin and Danazol), and appear effective in treating fibroids. Anti-progestins, which block the action of progesterone, are also sometimes used.

Uterine artery embolization. Also called uterine fibroid embolization, uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a newer minimally-invasive (without a large abdominal incision) technique. The arteries supplying blood to the fibroids are identified, then embolized (blocked off). The embolization cuts off the blood supply to the fibroids, thus shrinking them. Health care providers continue to evaluate the long-term implications of this procedure on fertility and regrowth of the fibroid tissue.

Anti-inflammatory painkillers.

This type of drug is often effective for women who experience occasional pelvic pain or discomfort.