Many people almost died because they thought they had a "beer belly"

(Dan Tri) - Coming to the hospital with a big belly and many inconveniences in daily life, many men were discovered by doctors to have a rare condition that could even be life-threatening.

On May 15, a representative of Binh Dan Hospital (HCMC) said that doctors here had successfully performed a complicated surgery, removing a giant tumor that had displaced and weakened the function of the patient's internal organs.

Man with 8kg malignant tumor

That is the case of Mr. NVT (47 years old, living in Long An province). Recently, he has had abdominal tension and pain at night after long hours of driving a truck.

At first, he thought that the nature of his job as a driver and his love of drinking beer caused his stomach to swell and feel heavy. It was only when his stomach was hard and protruding forward and to the sides that he went to see a local doctor.

During the abdominal ultrasound, the frontline doctors were surprised to discover a mass that occupied almost the entire abdominal cavity of the patient. Mr. T. was transferred to Binh Dan Hospital for surgery to remove the large tumor from his body.

Image of the patient's giant fatty tumor (Photo: Hospital).

Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Phuc Minh, Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery - who directly performed surgery on Mr. T. - shared that the results of the abdominal MRI showed that the tumor had a diameter of up to 40cm, a structure similar to fatty tissue, occupied almost the entire abdomen and surrounded the man's right kidney.

More seriously, the tumor adhered to and compressed large blood vessels such as the artery, abdominal vena cava and neighboring blood vessels, causing impaired kidney function. Doctors held a hospital-wide consultation to come up with the best surgical plan.

At first, the patient and his wife were very confused and cried a lot. After receiving detailed advice from the doctor, Mr. T. decided to have surgery to remove the giant tumor, avoiding surrounding pressure, leading to complications such as hydronephrosis, intestinal obstruction and life-threatening.

The team of doctors from the departments of General Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, Urology and Anesthesia and Resuscitation coordinated to perform the surgery on the patient. After more than 5 hours of intense surgery, the tumor with retroperitoneal adhesions was removed, while preserving the right kidney, reducing damage and avoiding blood loss.

Mr. T.'s recovery process was very smooth. Two days after surgery, the patient was able to eat and drink as before and start moving.

The male patient recovered well after surgery (Photo: Hospital).

Be alert to unusual abdominal symptoms

Previously, Binh Dan Hospital also received a 27-year-old pregnant woman with a large tumor about 40cm in diameter that was directly pressing on the uterus, endangering the fetus.

The patient underwent surgery to remove a lipoma weighing more than 5kg. After surgery, the patient's pregnancy progressed well and she gave birth naturally.

At a hospital in Cu Chi district (HCMC), Mr. TSM (60 years old) also came for a check-up with a large belly, a large bulge in the middle of the abdomen causing discomfort when walking. Therefore, for nearly a year, he did not dare to exercise vigorously or do heavy work, and his quality of life has been declining.

According to the medical history, Mr. M. had previously undergone open surgery to treat peritonitis, leaving a large surgical wound in the abdominal wall. After a clinical examination, the doctors ordered an abdominal CT scan, which showed a large hernia in the abdominal wall with a diameter of more than 16cm.

After carefully assessing the condition of the hernia as well as health factors, the doctors of the General Surgery Department decided to perform surgery to completely treat the hernia for this patient.

The large hernia caused the man's abdomen to swell and deform (Photo: Hospital).

After surgery, the patient recovered well and was able to eat again just one day after surgery. The large abdominal mass also disappeared.

Doctor Tuan shared that abdominal wall hernia is a condition in which abdominal organs protrude out of the abdominal wall muscles, occurring when the muscle layers or fascia layers in the abdominal wall are weak or open, forming a bulge on the patient's abdomen.

When the hernia is stuck between the abdominal muscles or stuck outside the abdominal wall and cannot get in, it will cause the herniated organs to become ischemic, leading to necrosis.

If left for a long time, the hernia will gradually become larger, making treatment difficult, causing loss of aesthetics, discomfort for the patient when walking, and reducing quality of life.

Doctors recommend that people should have regular health check-ups, at least once a year. In cases of mass, abdominal ultrasound can help detect abnormalities early.

If there is a protruding mass in the abdominal wall, appearing when the body is active such as coughing, straining or disappearing when lying down (typical signs of abdominal hernia), the patient should go to a reputable medical facility for early examination and timely treatment.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nhieu-nguoi-suyt-chet-vi-tuong-bung-bia-20250515113014121.htm