WHILE many women have heard of uterine fibroids, a common type of noncancerous tumor in the uterus, few have heard that the tumor can grow in the heart.

A Shenzhen woman surnamed Li recently underwent a surgery to remove her uterine fibroids. In her case, the fibroids went through the abdominal cavity and thoracic cavity along the veins and had gone all the way from the pelvic cavity to grow in her right atrium, sznews.com reported.

On July 6, the gynecology department of Shenzhen People’s Hospital teamed up with 14 other departments and succeeded in removing the giant myoma weighing 4.4 kilograms in Li’s abdominal cavity and the tumor in her right atrium after a 16-hour operation.

More than a month ago, Li found a huge lump in her abdomen during a routine checkup and later went to a hospital for further examination. The examination results showed that she has a tumor about 35 centimeters in size in her abdomen, but doctors were confused where the tumor came from.

Li was also puzzled as she didn’t feel any discomfort over the past year. Li then went to Shenzhen People’s Hospital to shed some more light on her tumor.

After a series of examinations, it was basically determined that Li’s tumor originated from the uterine vein system and spread upward along the veins, impacting the uterus, bladder, inferior vena cava, renal vein and hepatic vein. To the doctor’s surprise, the tumor also grew into Li’s right atrium.

Considering the location, depth and impact of the tumor, doctors in Shenzhen People’s Hospital made a detailed operation and anesthesia plan for Li, for any misstep might lead to massive or fatal bleeding during the surgery.

The whole operation, which took a total of 16 hours, was carried out by medical experts from various departments in a relay. Under the careful treatment and care of the medical staff, Li recovered well after the operation.

Gynecologists of Shenzhen People’s Hospital remind that although uterine fibroids are common, it is still necessary for females to have routine checkups and see a doctor immediately in case of any discomfort.

(Zhang Yu)