A 22-year old girl from Ghaziabad got a new lease of life after doctors here successfully treated her with a rare uterus malformation.

The girl was suffering from cystic adenomyosis -- also known as accessory cavitated uterine masses or ACUM -- that develops as a tiny uterus in the main uterus. As a result, the patient was experiencing painful periods for the past three years, which progressively became worse.

Doctors at Paras Hospitals used extensive imaging tests to identify the malformation in her uterus and conducted laparoscopic surgery to treat the disorder. "She developed dysmenorrhoea five years after attaining menarche (occurrence of the first menstruation) due to gradual collection of blood in the accessory uterine which became swollen and caused pain," Alka Kriplani from Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, said in a statement on April 10.

"She sought consultations of gynaecologists and received treatment for polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) and fibroids. However, despite normal blood parameters, her pain did not subside," Kriplani added. Dysmenorrhoea refers to menstrual cramps in addition to pelvic pain. The doctors opted for advanced laparoscopic surgery and the patient recovered fully and was discharged the next day.

ACUM is a rare and highly under diagnosed condition with only 75 reported cases so far globally and 11 cases in India. The doctors stressed that awareness must be spread among patients as well as gynaecologists and radiologists as patient suffers from extreme pain leading to severe mental stress culminating in psychological stress.