Medical experts at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have carried out a rare procedure that offered a new lease on life to a 17-year-old girl after 20.86 kilograms of breast tissue believed to be the biggest such procedure ever done in the world was excised by surgeons.
The teenager, named only as Lydia, had lived with gigantomastia, a very rare condition that results in too much breast tissue.
For 18 miserable months, the illness plagued her with constant pain and left her unable to walk or even stand up. She had quit school and lived in misery as her confidence and health began to decline.
On September 22, the KNH surgeons headed by the hospital’s Head of Specialised Surgery, Dr. Benjamin Wabwire carried out the 11-hour operation that changed her life.
“A lot more than a successful operation,” Dr. Wabwire said. “It was giving a young woman back her dignity, her confidence, and her freedom to live.”.
The removed tissue was the size of 37 per cent of the body weight of Lydia a medical miracle, KNH said. The hospital termed the achievement as a turning point in local surgical progression.
Lydia was ecstatic and relieved after the surgery to be finally able to lead a normal life.
“Today, the weight is lifting,” she said with a grin. “I am free, lighter, and able to go back to school. I can now live the life I always dreamed of and become a teacher one day.”
Gigantomastia, while benign, is painful, with associated neck and backache, skin infection, and psychological trauma. It is triggered by puberty, pregnancy, or drugs, according to doctors but in most cases, no cause can be identified.
Dr. Wabwire’s team worked with the cream of the crop in their field, i.e., Professor Lew and Dr. Kim of South Korea’s Yonsei University and KNH’s Dr. Claire Odero, Dr. Agnes Wanjiru, and Dr. Joy Mwangi.
Anaesthesia service was headed by Dr. Eileen Towett and Dr. Hellen Mwari, while critical care was taken by Esther Munga and Eun Jin Chae, the nurses.
KNH described the procedure as “a story of perseverance, collaboration, and empathy,” noting that it reflects Kenya’s heightened medical acumen and capacity to handle complicated illnesses believed to be beyond its reach.
“We are not simply curing illness we are transforming lives,” stated Dr. Wabwire.