Kenya, 23 October 2025 - A team of surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has performed what the hospital says is the world’s largest recorded gigantomastia operation, an 11-hour breast-reduction procedure that removed 20.86 kilograms of tissue from a 17-year-old girl and, hospital staff say, returned her a chance at a normal life.
The surgery, carried out on September 22, 2025 and publicly announced on October 22, was led by Dr Benjamin Wabwire, Head of Specialised Surgery and Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at KNH. The hospital statement and local coverage say the removed tissue accounted for about 37% of the patient’s total body weight and that the teenager, identified in KNH materials as Lydia Musivi, had lived with the condition for roughly 18 months.
“This was more than a surgical success; it was the restoration of a young woman’s dignity and future,” Dr Wabwire said in KNH’s press statement. “With world-class skill and deep compassion, we can overcome even the most extreme medical challenges.”
What is Gigantomastia condition
Gigantomastia is a rare, non-cancerous condition characterised by extreme and often rapid breast growth. It can cause chronic pain, recurrent infections, severe physical disability and psychological trauma, problems the KNH team says the patient suffered, forcing her to drop out of school and stop normal activities. The scale of tissue removed in this case appears exceptional by international standards and has drawn wide local and regional attention.
In a brief post-op quote published by KNH, the teenager said: “The weight is now over. I feel free, lighter, and ready to return to school.” The hospital adds that she has since been discharged and is recuperating at home in Mwingi, Kitui County, with plans to resume schooling in January 2026.
A multidisciplinary effort, and growing KNH capability
KNH said the operation was performed by a multidisciplinary team that included Kenyan specialists and invited international experts. The anaesthesia and nursing teams were singled out for the critical role they played in the patient’s care. KNH Acting CEO Dr Richard Lesiyampe called the achievement a demonstration of the hospital’s vision for advanced, patient-centred care in Kenya. The operation adds to a string of complex procedures KNH has performed in recent years, a track record the hospital frequently highlights.
- In September 2025 KNH and the University of Nairobi completed a complex craniofacial reconstructive surgery for a child injured in a bandit attack, a nine-hour operation described as a global milestone.
- KNH surgical teams previously separated conjoined twins in a marathon 23-hour operation, an achievement first reported in 2016 and celebrated as a major milestone for the region.
- Earlier in 2025, KNH reported the world’s first transhumoral TSR surgery (a complex limb sensation procedure) and, in 2024, the hospital recorded Kenya’s first laparoscopic donor nephrectomy by Kenyan surgeons, signaling that the national referral hospital has been steadily adding advanced procedures to its portfolio.
Taken together, these cases underline KNH’s shift toward handling extremely complex, multidisciplinary surgeries locally, reducing dependence on overseas referrals and demonstrating capacity for advanced reconstructive and specialist operations.
What clinicians say, and what patients need
Surgeons say cases like gigantomastia require careful pre-operative planning, meticulous intra- operative management (bleeding control, reconstruction and preserving function), and long post-operative care for wound healing and psychological recovery. KNH’s public statement stresses the human dimension: restoring mobility, relieving pain, and providing a chance to resume education and social life.
Medical experts outside KNH note that while international records are not centrally collated for every rare procedure, removing more than 20 kg of breast tissue in a single surgery, especially on a teenager, is exceedingly rare and medically demanding. They caution that claims of “world’s largest” should be treated carefully but also recognise the significance of the clinical feat for the patient’s quality of life. (See contextual reporting in The Star and Kenyans.co.ke.)
The patient’s path and the family’s relief
KNH’s statement tells of a mother’s determined search for help that ended at the national referral hospital. In public comments, the mother thanked the team for “saving my daughter” and said they were given the patient back, not just the condition. KNH said the girl will continue follow-up care at home and anticipates returning to school.
Beyond the medical headline, the operation shines a light on two broader issues: the need for accessible specialist care in East Africa and the value of building local surgical capacity. When national hospitals can perform these complex operations, fewer patients need expensive overseas referrals, a critical point for health policy in countries with tight budgets and rising demand for specialised care.