After years of unidentified pain, teenager finds relief at Hadassah
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Doctors found a huge growth that filled Tamar’s abdominal and pelvic cavities’
A very active, athletic 17-year-old girl arrived at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem complaining of pain in her stomach. She had no idea there was a massive growth in her abdomen that weighed more than six pounds.
“Tamar complained of abdominal pain from an early age,” her mother reports. “We contacted several doctors who did a variety of tests, but the results suggested everything was normal, and we thought all was okay. We attributed the pain to the stresses caused by life changes, such as moving our home, school examinations, and an unbalanced diet.” One evening, Tamar’s mother recalls, “Tamar began complaining of strong abdominal pain. She was really suffering, and her abdomen had suddenly swelled up. Tamar is a very thin girl and physically quite small. We were alarmed by the swelling.” Tamar’s mother took her to Hadassah Ein Kerem, where doctors found the huge growth that now filled Tamar’s abdominal and pelvic cavities.
Senior surgeon Dr. Uri Dior, an expert in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery, explains, “In the initial examination, we found a lump and needed to ascertain its source. During testing, we discovered that the growth stretched from the pelvic area to the liver, which is most unusual. From our tests, we were confident the tumor was benign, but we couldn’t be certain. It was obvious we would have to operate on Tamar immediately.” Hadassah’s medical specialists decided that, despite the abnormal size of the tumor, they would try to remove it using a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach to avoid a large abdominal incision. The tumor, as expected, was benign. It is a common type of tumor among fertile women, the doctors note, but its enormity at such a young age was most unusual. “Nearly three litters of fluid and tissue were sucked out of the tumor,” Dr. Ben-Shushan says. “Since the source of the tumor was ovarian,” he explains, “it was very important for us to preserve Tamar’s ovarian tissue. At the end of the surgery, we reconstructed her ovary. We expect her to have a fully functioning ovary.” Three days later, Tamar was discharged from the hospital.
In the picture: Hadassah surgeons Dr. Uri Dior (left) and Dr. Avi Ben-Shushan.
For more than 100 years, Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem (www.hadassah-med.com) has been a leader in medicine and nursing in Israel, laying the foundation and setting the standards for the country’s modern health care system. The majority of medical breakthroughs in Israel have taken place there. With more than 130 departments and clinics, Hadassah-Ein Kerem provides Israel’s most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for the local and national population and a significant number of international patients.
