Doctors discovered a second almost full-sized spleen in a young Emirati woman in what is believed to be only the 30th case of its kind globally.
The organ was discovered after the 20-year-old patient presented with a large abdominal mass with pain, weight loss and nausea.
Doctors initially thought she was suffering from a cancerous tumour.
But further investigation revealed it was in fact what is known as an accessory spleen, which had been present since birth.
Second spleens are not particularly rare.
An estimated 10 to 30 per cent of people are believed to be born with more than one.
But what made this woman’s so different was its size at 10cm, which is only marginally smaller than a full-size spleen at 12cm. Masses measuring larger than 4cm are very rare, according to studies.
It was also hidden behind the abdominal cavity, far from the main one and connected to several arteries and veins.
The first-year university student said she had not experienced any unusual symptoms until shortly before she underwent surgery.
“I began to feel nausea and pain in the stomach and abdominal area. And two weeks ago, I lost 10kg of weight because [the pain] prevented me from eating,” said the woman, who was not named.
“I went to one of the hospitals, which told me that it was a rare tumour and had to be removed, but I preferred to take more than one medical opinion.”
She said she was grateful she did.
Dr Ali Ayoub, a consultant gastroenterologist, who performed the surgery at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, said the hospital carried out tests and conducted a CT scan on the abdomen, which showed the presence of a large mass in the left side of the upper abdomen behind the colon near the left kidney, pancreas and aorta.
“I had a strong feeling that this case is rare and that it is not a cancerous tumour because of the block site,” said Dr Ayoub, who is head of the department.
A team of urologists, general surgeons and oncologists decided to proceed with the operation to remove it.
The procedure, which lasted nine hours, was performed using keyhole surgery, which involves making small holes, rather than large incisions, to speed up recovery.
“I left the hospital in less than a week and all of that was removed. My pains left and I went back to my normal life as if nothing had happened,” said the patient.
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The specs
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On sale: now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
