Ugandan Doctors Remove 3.2Kg Fibroid from Woman

Doctors in Uganda successfully removed a huge uterine fibroid weighing about 3.2 kilograms from a woman.

“We removed this fibroid which weighed 3.2kg,” said Dr Emma Sserunjogi in Kampala without providing more details of the case.

“Normally a baby weighs 2.5kg – 4kg,” he said, adding, “So you can imagine how big it was.”

Fibroids, or “uterine leiomyomas,” are a type of benign, or noncancerous, tumour of the uterus. 

They may be as small as a seed or grow so big that they form a bulky mass that can distort and enlarge the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

In most cases, fibroids don’t cause symptoms, the Cleveland Clinic says, but symptoms such as excessive bleeding during menstruation, pain during intercourse, frequent urination or a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen can occur.

Dr Sserunjoji said the operation to remove the fibroid took place this past weekend.

He said the causes of fibroids are, “nulliparous uterus ( one which has never carried pregnancy), early Menarche (starting periods at an early stage), overweight/obesity, late Menopause (delaying to stop periods) and genetics among others.

Progress 

Uganda registered its first successful procedure of Fibroid Embolization in 2022.

This was conducted by South African Doctor Dr. Josiais Padi from Merit International South Africa in collaboration with his Ugandan Counterpart Dr. Hassan Kabiito from International Hospital in Kampala (IHK) at IHK in Kampala.

Fibroids occur predominantly in women especially of African descent, and in Uganda, many women of reproductive age have them.

Speaking shortly after the embolization, Dr Kabiito said that many patients hold the myth the surgery is the only treatment option of resolving fibroids.

“But we now have a purely non-surgical procedure, minimally invasive with faster recovery. If you have symptomatic fibroids, this procedure is a viable option,” he said

“There is a new unique procedure called uterine fibroid embolization which is an alternative to the commonly known surgery to remove fibroids (myomectomy). Embolization means targeted cutting off of blood supply to a particular part of the body,” he added.