• The life-saving surgery was performed by a team of 12 Doctors and medical staff from the Kegalle National Hospital

By Chaminda Jayalath

An enlarged spleen weighing 3.5 kilos was removed from a woman from Kehelwatta in Kegalle through surgery performed  at the Kegalle general hospital.The Surgeon who performed the surgery Dr. Ananda Jayawardene said the 65 year old woman was now convalescing.

Dr. Jayawardene said the spleen in a healthy human body should be about 150,gms but the woman’s spleen had developed an abnormal condition. He said the patient had a history of an illness identified as Myelofibrosis affecting bone marrows for which she had been under treatment since 2012 and that anemia or bleeding caused by Myelofibrosis would have resulted in the abnormal growth in the spleen. He said Myelofibrosis was a rare illness found in one in 100,000 individuals.

“ This elderly woman had been suffering from abdominal pain and fever recently for about two months and sought treatment at the Kegalle hospital, Medical tests indicated that her liver and kidney functioning had been affected while the blood count was poor. The doctors who diagnosed her condition had recommended urgent surgery. However, I considered it a risky operation in view of her age and poor physical health. 

Ultimately I with the help of a team of 12 others including doctors and nurses undertook the task which was the only alternative to save her life. After a successful operation lasting two and half hours we  removed the enlarged spleen weighing 3.5kilo,” he said.

• Dr. Jayawardene further said the patient was convalescing in a normal ward following intensive care treatment