Audio By Carbonatix
Indian doctors have removed a kidney weighing 7.4kg (16.3lbs) - as much as two newborn babies - from a patient.
It's believed to be the largest kidney ever removed in India - a kidney usually weighs between 120-150g.
The patient was suffering from a condition called Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, which causes cysts to grow all over the organ.
One doctor involved in the operation said large kidneys were common in patients with the disease.
However Dr Sachin Kathuria, from Sir Ganga Ram hospital in Delhi, said doctors generally would not remove the organ unless there were symptoms of infection and internal bleeding, as they were performing at least some filtering functions in the body.
"This patient had contracted a bad infection that was not responding to antibiotics, and the kidney's massive size was causing the patient breathing difficulties, so we had no choice but to remove it," he said.
Dr Kathuria added that doctors were expecting a large kidney when they operated, but the size of this organ had still surprised them.
"His other kidney is even bigger", he told the BBC.
He said the heaviest kidney according to the Guinness World Records is 4.5kg, although urology journals had records of kidneys that were even heavier than this one. One from the US weighed 9kg while another from the Netherlands was 8.7kg.
Dr Kathuria said doctors had not decided whether to submit their findings to the Guinness commission as a world record, but they were "considering it".
According to the NHS website, Polycystic kidney disease is a common hereditary condition, which causes problems when patients are between 30 and 60 years old.
It causes kidney function to deteriorate until it finally culminates in kidney failure.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Man jailed for four years after Barron Trump reported attack to UK police
7 minutes -
Palestinian man killed as death toll from West Bank settler violence climbs
49 minutes -
Political activism undermining supremacy of law – Supt Odartey
49 minutes -
Three dead after helicopter crash in Hawaii
55 minutes -
People don’t report vote buying to Police – Prof Alhassan raises concern over enforcement gaps
1 hour -
We’ve inadequately educated on democracy – Supt. Odartey
1 hour -
US expects to end Iran operation in ‘weeks not months’, Rubio says after G7 meeting
1 hour -
Photos: ‘Democracy Is Not For Sale’ forum in Tamale
2 hours -
Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect to plead guilty, US media report
2 hours -
Proving vote buying requires hard evidence – Richard Odartey
2 hours -
Postpartum depression is a medical condition, not laziness – Counselor Perfect
2 hours -
Democracy in Ghana now a commodity, driven by vote buying and poverty – Prof Alhassan
2 hours -
Politicians capitalise on poverty to monetise democracy – Prof Alhassan
2 hours -
Time is Justice: Breaking the Chains of Courtroom Delays
2 hours -
JoyPrime’s Edith Agbeli shines at Africa’s 100 Most Influential Women Awards
2 hours
