Female patient has rare disease, two outer thighs like two balls

On June 27, a 25-year-old Vietnamese American woman with an extremely rare buttock Madelung syndrome (a type of fat tissue disorder) had successful surgery in Ho Chi Minh City.

Surgeons remove two tumors weighing 2.5kg - Photo: NGOC SUONG

The patient with the rare disease is Ms. NTA, 25 years old, an American Vietnamese who returned to Vietnam to treat the terrible disease, after 20 years of living with abnormal enlargement of the thighs and hips.

Buttock lipomas mistaken for "obesity"

Ms. A. began to notice abnormal soft tissue growth at the age of 6, but due to a lack of proper diagnosis, the patient and her family thought it was due to obesity or "big bones", and did not seek medical examination and treatment when the lipoma first formed.

By the time the patient was 25 years old, the thighs and hips had increased rapidly in size, with the hip circumference reaching 138cm.

For many years, Ms. A. could not fit into normal clothes, avoided communication and always lived with an inferiority complex. Notably, in Ms. A.'s family, many members also had similar tumors, but they were smaller in size and did not grow symmetrically like hers.

Dr. Nguyen Phan Tu Dung, general director of JW Hospital, said: "Madelung syndrome is often recorded in the neck, shoulder or upper body, mainly in middle-aged men with a history of alcoholism. The appearance of the disease in a young female patient, with no risk factors, and symmetrical localized lesions in the buttocks is an extremely rare manifestation."

Diagnostic imaging results showed that the left fatty tissue mass measured 10x27x27cm, the right 10x 25x28cm, the fatty tissue thickness was up to 8.2cm on each side, with a total hip circumference of up to 138cm, far exceeding the pathological standards commonly encountered in clinical practice.

After multidisciplinary consultation, the patient was indicated for fat tissue removal surgery combined with thigh and buttock contour reconstruction to restore motor function and improve aesthetics.

More than 5 hours of surgery for a rare case

The surgery lasted more than 5 hours. "The fat mass develops in an irregular direction, infiltrates and adheres tightly to the connective tissue. If not removed properly, it can leave skin depressions, body imbalance or rapid recurrence," said Dr. Tu Dung.

Furthermore, the patient is young and has high aesthetic requirements after the surgery. Therefore, the surgical team must not only ensure medical safety, but also coordinate plastic surgery techniques to reconstruct the natural, harmonious contours of the buttocks, hips and thighs, helping the patient regain confidence in life soon.

The patient has now recovered well and continues to be treated with a negative pressure suction machine to drain excess fat tissue and perform gene decoding tests to help detect potential genetic factors and prevent recurrence.

Ultrasound results showed that the subcutaneous fat layer on both buttocks was more than 10cm thick, while CT scan confirmed that there were no lesions or vascular malformations, which helped rule out more dangerous causes. Although the fat is benign, if not operated on promptly, the condition can progress rapidly, causing serious effects on both physical and mental health.

THUY DUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-benh-nhan-mac-benh-hiem-hai-vung-dui-ben-ngoai-nhu-hai-qua-bong-2025062716531601.htm