A man with a disturbing condition that made him ‘pregnant’ has had to undergo a surgery to correct the shocking anomaly.
Zhang Cheng’s tumour weighed 15 kg at its heaviest
Zhang Cheng, a Chinese man let a benign stomach tumour to grow for 12
years until it left him looking like he was heavily pregnant.
Zhang first became aware of the abdominal benign tumour in 2004. But
unable to afford surgery to have it removed, he left it to grow and grow
for more than a decade until it expanded to massive proportions.
When it eventually began to threaten his health, however, the
33-year-old was talked into borrowing a large sum of cash to pay for its
removal.
Zhang Cheng before surgery
Surgeons have now removed the massive tumour which he carried around
for years. At its heaviest, the benign growth weighed a whopping 15
kilogrammes.
Incredible pictures of Zhang before his surgery show the massive growth causing his abdomen to swell up to a frightening size.
According to Doctor Dai Ruiwu, lead surgeon at the Military General
Hospital in Chengdu, capital of China’s south-western Sichuan Province,
the fleshy mass was putting too much pressure on Zhang’s internal organs
and gastrointestinal tract.
An operation lasting six hours and carried out by experts from three clinical departments, saw the tumour removed.
But Doctor Dai said Zhang is not out of the woods yet.
Zhang Cheng recovering after surgery
The medic said: “Due to the tumour’s position the surgery was extremely risky. There was a high chance of heavy bleeding.
“The patient is now being kept in the intensive care unit for further observation.”
Zhang had hoped the tumour could be suppressed with traditional
remedies, but his decision not to operate saw the tumour grow bigger and
bigger until he ended up carrying it around like an unborn child.