How A Stomach Ache Turned Into A Nightmare

It’s not everyday that a stomach ache complaint turns into something serious. However, this was exactly the case with a 15-year-old girl in Bangalore. After she complained of stomach ache, she was diagnosed with a Haemorrhagic Hepatic Adenoma of the liver (bleeding of tumour in the liver).

Hepatic adenoma is an uncommon benign liver tumour that is hormone induced. 

Measuring around 17 cm, the tumour was pretty big. It occupied nearly 60 percent of the liver, which led to the breakage of surrounding blood vessels. The blood released was soaked up by the tumour, increasing its size.

Soon, the blood vessels around her tumour began to bleed. And due to the lack of resources in the hospital she was originally admitted in, the patient was shifted to Fortis Hospitals.

“The girl’s parents brought her at a critical stage. Not only was her tumour bleeding excessively, but her haemoglobin level was dropping as well. It was important to first stop the bleeding.”

“Our team of Interventional Radiologists blocked the bleeding vessel through a Catheter Embolization Procedure, wherein medication or synthetic materials, called embolic agents, were introduced through a catheter into a blood vessel, to block blood flow to the affected area of the liver,” explained Dr Neelamekam. 

Thereafter, the patient was kept under observation for 36 hours in the Paediatric ICU.

The young girl’s mother said, “We were not mentally ready for the surgery, and the doctors suggested that we come back after a month. Multiple doctors had different takes on the case - it was undoubtedly a complex one. We were told to go to a healthcare facility such as Fortis Hospital that had the necessary infrastructure.”

Thanks to timely treatment, the 15-year-old has completely recovered.