Nakuru, Kenya: Doctors at the Mediheal Hospital in Nakuru on Sunday removed a 27 centimeter long appendix from a 16-year old girl's abdomen, the longest ever in the medical field ultimately breaking the World Guinness Book record.
Dr. Navin Raina who performed the surgery medically referred to as appendectomy, could not hide the shock either.
"This is the longest appendices ever discovered in the world. The small girl has conquered a world record.It is a new awakening in the world of academia," said the surgeon.
The incident triggered fuss at the medical facility and within a short time, medical staff milled around Winnie Njeri's ward as "get well" messages flied in the air.
Her mother Lucy Kinyua, 43, said that she has taken the girl to numerous hospitals but doctors have not been able to diagnose her.
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Although it is not a deadly condition, Dr. Riana says that poor diagnosis and delayed treatment of the appendix may make it burst thus life threatening.
"It is good she was brought in early. She is a victim of poor diagnosis but I have successfully managed it. She is out of danger now," he says.
According to Dr. Raina, the longest appendix ever discovered in the world was 26.3 centimetres. He said the discovery opened a new chapter in medical research.
"I have been in the medical practice for 40 years and I have served in various medical facilities across the world. But this is the biggest discovery I have made," said Dr. Raina also the head of General Laparoscopic surgery at the facility situated at Pipeline area along Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
For now, the surgeon has assembled the specimen in preparation for biopsy tests. He says he would document the details of the discovery in medical journals for further research. The journal will also be used to teach medical students around the world.
"This is a very crucial specimen for academic research. We as a hospital shall keep it safe until we complete writing the medical journal," he told the standard.
He adds, "We shall then forward it to the World Guinness Book for recording. Doctors, just like me will definitely be curious to meet the girl."
Mediheal Hospital is also on the process of setting up an Advance Minimal Access surgery and Oncology center at Nakuru. If successful, Dr. Raina who heads the program says would reduce the number of patients always referred to India for specialized treatment as services will be brought closer to East Africa.
"We have already procured sophisticated medical equipment which will make it possible for doctors to perform abdominal and brain operations without necessarily dissecting the body. Doctors will be using latest equipment to incise sections of the skin and at the end conduct safe and less painful operations," he said.
According to webMD, an online medical search engine, appendix is a thin tube about four inches long that sits at the junction of the small and large intestine at the lower right abdomen.
Scientifically, its function is unknown. One theory is that the appendix acts as a storehouse for good bacteria, "rebooting" the digestive system after diarrheal illnesses.
Other experts believe the appendix is just a useless remnant from human evolutionary past. Surgical removal of the appendix causes no observable health problems.
For unclear reasons, the appendix often becomes inflamed, infected, and can rupture. This causes severe pain in the right lower part of the belly, along with nausea and vomiting.
For now, doctors at the hospital have given Winnie a clean bill of health and she will be discharged in two days.
Her mother said she had lost hope after her daughter was kept out of school for several terms as the appendicitis took toll of her already frail stature.
"I can tell you this girl has missed school several terms. She could wake up vomiting and writhing in fever. Her temperature fluctuated from 34 to 42 degrees Celsius. This shocked me a lot. But today, I am a happy mother," she said.
Winnie may be happy that she is about to lift a new lid in life but oblivious of the attention she may attract as she transits into the world acclaimed record.
