A two-year-old girl from Tajikistan, born with a medical condition that caused her head to swell, received a new lease life after undergoing multiple surgeries over a period of five months at a hospital in Gurgaon.





The child suffered from congenital hydrocephalus with megalencephaly -- a growth developmental disorder in which the brain is abnormally large, hospital authorities said on August 21. She was born with 'hydrocephalus', a condition in which the fluid is collected in the brain causing the size of the head to increase, they said.

"The usual treatment for such a condition is to perform a VP shunt surgery. This involves installing a small tube in the brain to drain the excess fluid. This surgery was performed (in Tajikistan) when the girl was just 11 months old," the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) said in a statement.

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is a surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities (ventricles) of the brain (hydrocephalus). The surgery in her country reduced the circumference of her head from 72 cm to 64 cm. However, brain damage had already occurred and the bones had fused together because of which her brain size could not be reduced further. She was also unable to sit or hold her head up, the hospital said.

Sandeep Vaishya, Executive Director of Neurosurgery, FMRI, said the operations, conducted recently, were "extremely risky and rare". "We performed eight surgeries on the patient over a period of five months. We managed to reduce the size of the head, but the surgery proved to be extremely challenging. At one point, we almost lost her, but she fought back," he was quoted as saying in the statement by FMRI.

"Though it is still early, we have noticed some positive changes. Her last CT scan showed good brain development and she has started to lift her head. While there are chances of brain damage, it is her best chance to live a nearly normal life," Vaishya said.