[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] A teenage girl whose breasts had grown to account for a quarter of her body weight has regained her daily life after undergoing a resection surgery, according to a case reported in the medical literature.
Medical staff at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Morocco recently published the case in the international journal Journal of Surgical Case Reports.
According to the paper, a 15-year-old girl in Morocco began experiencing rapid breast enlargement around age 13. Over the next two years, the weight of her breasts increased to about 16.5 kg. That accounted for 27% of her body weight at the time, which was about 60 kg. Standing at just 157 cm, the girl suffered from chronic back pain and abnormal posture due to the excessive weight, and even walking or carrying out daily activities had become difficult.
The burden was not only physical but also psychological. The girl reported severe emotional stress and anxiety about her body image due to the changes in her appearance, and she also struggled socially, avoiding interactions with others.
Tests led to a diagnosis of Juvenile Gigantomastia.
The condition is extremely rare during puberty and is characterized by abnormal breast enlargement caused by excessive growth of breast tissue. It can also occur after pregnancy or following the use of certain medications, and is generally thought to result from tissue hypersensitivity to the female hormone estrogen. In this case, however, hormone tests found no particular abnormalities.
During a surgery that lasted about seven hours, the medical team removed a total of 16.5 kg of tissue, or about 7.7 kg from each breast. Significant bleeding occurred during the procedure, and a blood transfusion was required.
One week after the surgery, her back pain had completely disappeared, and her ability to walk improved significantly. However, a complication later developed in which some tissue around the nipple became necrotic, delaying reconstructive surgery until seven months later.
The reconstructive procedure used skin grafts from the groin area, and eight months after surgery, her breasts were confirmed to have regained a relatively natural shape.
The medical team said the case involved one of the largest amounts of tissue removed among reports of juvenile gigantomastia in adolescents. They also explained that continued follow-up is necessary because the breasts could grow again if hormonal stimulation recurs in the future.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
