Doctors removed a gigantic 20-lb spleen from a man who endured pain from the enlarged organ for 17 years.

Surgeons at the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, India cut open the patient, Rajkumar Tiwari, 37, and removed from his belly the mammoth 3x1.5-ft spleen the size of a small toddler.

Consultant surgeon Dr. Imran Shaikh said on June 7 that the operation took six hours with no pre or post surgery complications, adding Rajkumar was discharged from the hospital just five days later.

He said Rajkumar had been suffering massive splenomegaly - when the spleen balloons to more than 8 inches and 2.2 lbs - and hypersplenism or an overactive spleen.

The rare condition reportedly began 17 years ago, when Rajkumar felt a sharp stab of pain in his left upper abdomen. He also suffered abdominal tightness, fatigue, and pain, which persisted despite multiple medical treatments.

Finally, he was reffered to the Wockhardt Hospital as he had become too weak to even walk or climb a set of stairs.

Dr. Imran said: 'Massive splenomegaly with hypersplenism is a rare disorder, and due to the enormous size of the spleen and its over-function, carries a risk to the patient.

'Enlarged spleen starts killing blood cells prematurely leading to low Haemoglobin, white blood cells (WBC), and platelet count.

'He was suffering like this for a year, and more in the past month, and we performed all tests and CT scans to confirm the diagnosis. The spleen is located on the left side of the abdomen and filters blood by removing old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells.'

The day before the surgery, doctors first blocked the main blood supply to Rajkumar's spleen by putting coils in the artery 'to avoid killing the transfused blood products and increase the safety margin' for the procedure.

The following day, Rajkumar went under the knife, and the medical team found his spleen crushing his intestines, pancreas, diaphragm and stomach in the abdominal cavity.

They removed the organ, which weighed a whopping 20 lbs, beating the previous Guinness World Record of 5 lbs.

A grateful Rajkumar said: 'The constant pain and discomfort that held me back from living a fulfilling life are now just a painful memory thanks to the team of healthcare professionals.'