A student was shocked to discover she had four kidneys after going into hospital for an operation.
Doctors thought Jessica Curphey, who is a fashion student at the University of Creative Arts in Surrey, had a cyst after a scan showed something 17cm in diameter on her right kidney.
This proved to be a third kidney. As doctors went to remove the damaged third organ, they found a fourth.
Consultant urological surgeon Robyn Webber, of NHS Fife, told the Bury Times: “Having three kidneys on a single side of the body is exceptionally rare. There are perhaps fewer than 100 cases described in textbooks and papers.”
Although it was reported that diabetic father Carl Jones has four kidneys and three pancreases inside him in April, this is because Jones had a transplant when his original organs failed several times. Surgeons decided not to remove what was already there to prevent any more trauma to his body.
This also happened for Naomi Key from Portsmouth who has her own two kidneys which are partially functioning, as well as a pair from a donor.
Jessica was in hospital for five months after her initial operation, as she contracted severe pneumonia and had several complications. However she said she might consider donating her spare kidney, telling Bury Times: “It was a difficult experience but I was looked after and I’ve come through it the other end and looking forward to the future."