Mr. N.V.T (47 years old, living in Long An) is a long-distance driver, often suffering from a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen every time he rests at night. At first, he subjectively thought that sitting for a long time and the habit of drinking beer made his belly swollen. But just a few months later, his abdomen was tight, clearly projected forward and on both sides, making daily activities and movement difficult.
When he went to the local hospital for examination, the ultrasound results surprised the doctor: In his abdomen, there was a large mass that took up almost all the space, suspected to be a tumor behind the peritoneum. Mr. T was urgently transferred to Binh Dan Hospital (HCMC) for further treatment.
Here, doctors performed an ultrasound (MRI) and determined that the tumor was up to 40cm in diameter, had a fat-like structure, covered the right kidney and compressed many large blood vessels such as the abdominal artery and lower terminal vein. This causes impaired kidney function, seriously threatening the patient's life.
Dr. Nguyen Phuc Minh - Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, Binh Dan Hospital said: "The tumor block is not only unusually large but also tightly attached to important structures. If not operated on promptly, the patient may experience complications such as kidney failure, intestinal obstruction or life-threatening damage to large blood vessels".
Before the surgery, Mr. T and his wife were extremely worried, even crying for fear of risks. However, after being carefully consulted, he decided to undergo surgery with the belief of being cured.
The surgery mobilized the coordination of specialties: general surgery, urology, vascular surgery and anesthesia resuscitation. After more than 5 hours, the 8kg mass of the tumor was completely removed from the abdomen. In particular, Mr. T's right kidney was preserved thanks to the skillful digging technique around complex blood vessels.
After only two days of post-operation, Mr. T was able to eat again and walk easily. "I couldn't believe that I had such a large mass of butterfly in my belly. Thanks to the dedicated doctors, I was able to overcome this difficult surgery. My family is very grateful, Mr. T said emotionally.
Binh Dan Hospital has received many similar cases, including a 27-year-old woman, 15 weeks pregnant, who discovered a 5kg tumor after the peritoneum compressed the uterus. Thanks to timely surgery, the patient recovered well and gave birth to a healthy child.
Doctors recommend that people should have a regular health check-up at least once a year. In many cases, simple abdominal ultrasound can help detect advanced silent lumps early, thereby avoiding dangerous complications.
