Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Elephantiasis of the female genitalia—case report

  • Case Report
  • Published:
European Journal of Plastic Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We present a rare case of elephantiasis of the female external genitalia due to lymphatic filariasis. Our patient, from an endemic zone of India, came with massive debilitating swelling of her external genitalia. The huge size of the swelling hindered her walking and day-to-day life. Clinical examination and investigations confirmed chronic lymphatic filariasis leading to elephantiasis of the female external genitalia. She underwent successful excisional surgery. This paper reviews the extreme rarity of the condition, the disease problem in India and discusses the social aspects of the disease with a brief review of the control and the management strategy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. World Health Organization (1992) Fifth report of the WHO expert committee on filariasis. Lymphatic filariasis: the disease and its control. Technical report series 821. World Health Organization, Geneva.

  2. Khanna NN, Joshi GK (1971) Elephantiasis of female genitalia. Case report. Plast Reconstr Surg 48:379–381

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Michael E, Bundy DA, Grenfell BT (1996) Reassessing the global prevalence and distribution of lymphatic filariasis. Parasitology 112:409–428

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. National Filaria Control Programme (1995) Operational Manual. Directorate of National Malaria Eradication Programme, Delhi

  5. Huang GK (1989) Microsurgical therapy of lymphedema of the external female genitalia [Article in German]. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd 49(10):876–880

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harish C. Ghildiyal.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ghildiyal, H.C., Nautiyal, N. & Misra, T. Elephantiasis of the female genitalia—case report. Eur J Plast Surg 31, 83–85 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-007-0208-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-007-0208-9

Keywords

Navigation