Dubai doctors remove football-sized tumour from woman's womb in rare surgery

At 54, Tatiana Sergei was expecting that her periods would finally stop as most women her age was already in menopause; however, she was still having some heavy, unpredictable bleeding. Over the last few years, she also started experiencing troubling symptoms, from frequent urination to shortness of breath and some pressure in her abdomen.

It turned out she had uterine fibroids that grew into an enormous size — as big as a football.

“My wife was enduring a great deal of pain and discomfort. Her condition was causing her suffering and making it challenging for her to carry out daily activities. The persistent pain constantly burdened her physical and emotional well-being,” said Sergei, Tatiana’s husband.

The Russian expat consulted Dr Vitali Petukhou, a gynaecologist at Saudi German Hospital, and underwent a series of medical tests and scans.

“The results revealed a shocking reality: She had multiple large uterine fibroids that had grown to an enormous size,” said Dr Petukhou.

He added that the fibroids' pressure impacted her bladder and bowels, explaining her frequent urination and abdominal discomfort.

The doctor also discovered an umbilical hernia. “The scan confirmed the presence of a large tumour (more than 30cm) consisting of more than 50 nodes. It had completely deformed the uterus, occupied the entire pelvis and most of the abdominal cavity, and squeezed her ureters, bladder, and intestinal loops."

The mass also exerted pressure on large vessels in her heart, so Tatiana could not lie on her back for long periods of time.

Surgery was the only treatment, the specialist said. While most fibroids are now removed laparoscopically, Tatiana had to undergo open surgery, considering the size of the tumour.

The procedure lasted for more than 3 hours, and it was a success.

Tatiana’s husband said that she is now feeling way better than she used to. "We are enormously thankful to the doctor for making us free from the shackles of pain that once bound her,” he said.