In the Kiev children's hospital "Okhmatdet", a 12-year-old girl underwent a complex operation to reconstruct the external genitalia. The girl was born with a rare condition – adrenogenital syndrome, which causes excessive production of male hormones by the adrenal glands. Because of this, the external genitalia were formed according to the male type, although the internal organs remained female. This is reported by UNN with reference to "Okhmatdet".
Details
Maxim Ponomarenko, head of the Urology Department of Ndsb Okhmatdet, explained the complexity of the case.
"In a child,the internal genitalia are developed as female. It has a uterus, vagina, ovaries, but there is one "but" – it is the vagina that flows very close to the bladder. She has the highest degree of this pathology, when the exit of the genitals and the exit of the urinary system are combined and exits through the urethra. Therefore, the external genitalia have a purely ordinary appearance of the male penis.
The girl repeatedly suffered from insults from her peers and felt "not like everyone else." Therefore, the intervention was important not only from a medical point of view, but also from a psychological point of view.
How was the operation?
The operation lasted more than 6 hours and required special skill of doctors.
Doctors conducted:
- reconstruction of female external genitalia using tissues that formed the male organ;
- separation of the urinary and reproductive systems;
- creating an anatomically correct vagina to ensure a comfortable life for a girl.
After the operation, the girl underwent a recovery course in the gynecology department. Doctors note that now she can live a full life and in the future will even be able to give birth to children.
"Such an intervention was very necessary for her and was an important step towards accepting herself and her body," adds Alina Puzko, a pediatric urologist at Okhmatdet.
Family reaction
The girl's grandmother expressed her sincere gratitude to the doctors.
It's good that there are such talented doctors in Ukraine. When I trusted the specialists with my granddaughter, I had no doubt that everything would be fine. After all, they are real masters of their craft. I am eternally grateful to everyone. Now I am the happiest grandmother in the world
Case uniqueness
According to Alina Puzko, the girl has two sisters, one of whom also has adrenogenital syndrome. They plan to operate on her this winter.
"The probability that there are several such children in the same family is incredible," the doctor added.
Such operations in Ukraine are carried out only in Okhmatdet, where a multidisciplinary team of specialists works. Thanks to the professionalism of the doctors, the girl got a chance for a healthy and happy future.
This story was another example of the importance of developing children's medicine and supporting children with rare pathologies.