Vilma Crespo had been cancer-free for almost five years. She became understandably concerned when she started experiencing pain in her upper abdomen.

"It felt like pressure and fullness, with nausea, bloating, and intense pain in my right arm and back," the 64-year-old said recently from her home in San Pedro, Honduras.

Vilma wasted no time in getting a medical evaluation. An MRI revealed a very large cyst on her liver that was bleeding into itself and putting pressure on her adjacent organs causing discomfort. Vilma underwent her breast cancer treatment at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston in 2019, which kept her in the United States for well over a year as she underwent a double mastectomy, 30 radiation treatments, breast reconstruction, and later, a hysterectomy.

Based on the excellent care she received for her cancer recovery, Vilma and her family knew that Baylor St. Luke's was the best place for her care.

Vilma contacted the International Program at Baylor St. Luke's for urgent assistance. "The moment Mrs. Crespo contacted us, our team promptly escalated her case and closely monitored her travel until she arrived,” said Madelyn Mejia of Baylor St. Luke's International Program. “We collected her medical records, travel documentation, and reviewed all pertinent doctors’ notes to ensure our team was prepared for her arrival.”

Within just 24 hours of her diagnosis in Honduras, Vilma, her husband Luis, and daughter, Natalia, were on a plane to Houston. She went straight to the emergency room and was admitted to the hospital.

Kevin Huang, MD, assistant professor of surgery, division of abdominal transplantation at Baylor St. Luke’s diagnosed multiple congenital liver cysts, with the largest one measuring eight inches with hemorrhagic changes. “The larger cyst bled into itself and was pushing on the diaphragm, causing Ms. Crespo a lot of discomfort,” Dr. Huang said.

Thanks to advances in robotic surgery, Dr. Huang removed the symptomatic cysts in a 2-hour minimally invasive robotic procedure. “We used the robotic platform to carefully free the cyst from the diaphragm to resect the majority of the cyst lining,” he said. Pathology results were negative and therefore not cancerous.

Hepatic cysts are fairly common and appear in about 5 percent of the population. Dr. Huang said Vilma’s prognosis is good. Hepatic cysts can recur, so she will need to follow up should she experience abdominal pain in the future.

"I was discharged two days after my surgery," Vilma recalled. "My recovery was progressive, and I was able to regain my strength and well-being in a short time. The care I received at Baylor St. Luke’s was exceptional - every test and procedure, including the surgery, was handled with care and precision."

Vilma is back in Honduras with her husband and four children. She is back at work as an architect and grateful for the lifesaving care she received at Baylor St. Luke's. "My energy has returned, and all the symptoms are completely gone. I am convinced that traveling from Honduras to receive high-quality medical care was the best decision I could have made."