‘Vagina stone’ the size of an orange removed from Lebanon woman

Health

By Alexandra Klausner

This stone was no gem.

Doctors in Lebanon found an incredibly rare vagina stone — the size of an orange — lodged in a woman’s pelvis.

A recent case study published in Urology Case Reports detailed the extraordinary discovery — in this case, in a 27-year-old bedridden woman with cerebral palsy.

Vagina stones can form in two ways: when urine buildup in the vagina crystalizes, or when an untreated bacterial infection causes urine to harden.

In the particular case of the 27-year-old, no bacterial infection was found, and urine stagnation was the primary cause. 

The woman had a history of urinary incontinence, which is common in people with cerebral palsy and can lead to a leakage of urine in the vagina.

Symptoms were noticed three days before the patient was rushed to the emergency room. She had a fever, chills, vomiting, abdominal pain and lessened appetite. 

A CT scan of the pelvis and abdomen revealed the culprit. 

Vaginal stones are “formed by the deposition of inorganic salts by stagnant urine within the vagina,” according to a 2019 research paper published in Medicine. Due to the rarity of the condition, researchers said, it has often been misdiagnosed in the past.

The formation was so big it had been pressing on the woman’s bladder, which led to even more urine leakage. 

Doctors from Lebanese University in Beirut broke up the formation with laser therapy via ultrasound shockwaves from a device placed on the woman’s abdomen.

Doctors then used forceps to remove the fragments in a three-hour procedure.

After the operation, the woman was discharged and put on antibiotics. 

The authors of the case study that that since people with cerebral palsy are more likely to suffer from urinary incontinence and are thereby at a greater risk of developing vaginal stones, they should undergo routine gynecologic examinations, followed by an X-ray, if stones are suspected.