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Bengal

NRS doctors remove enlarged spleen weighing 3.5 kg from girl's body

KOLKATA: The NRS Medical College and Hospital has given a fresh lease of life to a 20-year-old girl from North 24-Parganas whose spleen enlarged up to 3.5 kg. A normal spleen generally weighs around 200 grams.

Doctors said the organ started outgrowing its own blood supply. The patient, a resident of Swarupnagar in North 24-Parganas, had to quit her job due to deterioration in her health condition. She used to work in a private company in Salt Lake. She was admitted to the hospital with pain and various other complications.

The spleen fights against invading germs in the blood and it controls the level of blood cells. It filters the blood and removes damaged red blood cells. The doctors felt that it was an extremely unusual case.

"As the spleen is protected by the rib cage, patients do not always feel any difference unless it's abnormally enlarged. The patient was brought to the hospital in a critical condition and it required an immediate surgery," said Dr R Sengupta, a senior doctor of the surgery department.

"We have removed her spleen which started outgrowing its own blood supply. Her haemoglobin level dropped to 6 and platelet count dropped to 20,000. Her liver also enlarged. It was a very risky operation," the doctor added.

"We had infused 5 bottles of blood into her body before the operation. We also brought haemoglobin and platelet level under normal condition. The spleen got bigger disproportionately that any injury could have turned fatal for the patient," said the doctor.

According to doctors, the spleen plays multiple supporting roles in the body. It acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. Old red blood cells are recycled in the spleen, and platelets and white blood cells are stored there. Sources in the hospital said her health condition was stable but some restrictions had been imposed on her by the doctors.

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