The giant formation, weighing 1 kg, was removed by surgeons of the Saint Nicholas Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv. Little Yustyna was born a month ago with a weight of 4.3 kg.
The girl was born with a huge tumor, but both parents and doctors were ready for this. After all, at the 16th week of pregnancy, specialists diagnosed the baby with a pathology – sacrococcygeal teratoma – a congenital tumor. Yustyna’s parents themselves are from Stryi and decided to give birth in Lviv, in the maternity ward of the St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital. Because there are all the necessary specialists here to save their baby.
On the third day after birth, Yustyna was taken to the operating room. In order to minimize blood loss, surgeons first determined which vessels supply the tumor with blood, and only then began to remove it.
Doctors successfully excised the tumor, which weighed about a kilogram and made up 25% of the baby’s body weight. The tumor was removed along with the coccyx and part of the sacrum, which is the world standard for such operations. In the place where the giant teratoma was localized, a soft tissue defect was formed. In order to close it, the specialists had to carry out skin plastic surgery on the child at the same time. They cut skin flaps from nearby areas and used them in the place where the tumor was. Such plastics are not often performed on babies, because children are rarely born with tumors of such large sizes.
The operation lasted about 5 hours and was successful. It is important that after such an extensive surgical intervention, the function of the pelvic organs was completely preserved in the baby.
The postoperative period also passed without complications. Yustyna has already returned home to Stryi with her parents. And now the little one will be brought to the specialists of the St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital only for scheduled examinations.