Reconstructive surgery done successfully on teenage girls

Two teenagers born without cervix and vagina, now can lead a normal life, thanks to a reconstructive surgery.

Two teenaged girls, who were born without cervix and vagina, now can lead a normal life, thanks to a reconstructive surgery done to rectify the problem called Cervicovaginal Agenesis.

The two girls, aged 17 and 19, brought to the Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, looked normal but unlike other girls in their teens, had not attained ‘menarche’ (start of menstrual cycle), which was a constant worry for the parents, said Dr T S Raghu Raman, Medical Superintendent of Kasturba Hospital at a press statement on Thursday.

The two girls used to suffer from recurrent abdomen pain which failed to subside even after medication.

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An examination revealed that though the girls had all other internal organs like uterus and ovaries, they did not have cervix and vagina which meant they could never lead a normal family life. The rare malformation in females is called ‘Cervicovaginal Agenesis’, in which there is no outlet for menstrual flow though the uterus and ovary function normally, he said.

Conventional method of treatment for such patients is removal of the functioning uterus which would have affected their entire life, Raman said.

However, the Paediatric Surgeons’ team of the hospital, led by Dr Vijay Kumar, decided to adopt a new method of surgery for the girls by reconstructing their cervix and vagina using intestinal segment and connecting the same to the functioning uterus, he said.

The surgery lasted four hours each. While the 17-year-old girl, a native of Honnavar, went under the scalpel four months ago, the surgery was performed on the 19 year-old, a native of Kundapur, three months back, Raman said.

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The doctor said they were announcing it to the media on Thursday as they needed to testify the results.

The new method of surgery not only saved the uterus which was functioning normally, but also will help the girls lead a normal life.

Dr Vijay Kumar said, “both the girls are having their regular menstrual cycles and can lead normal married life and bear children in future.”

Medical experts feel that the girls with recurrent abdominal pain and delayed puberty must seek gynaecological advice without postponing it as otherwise it may lead to severe complications.