Pvt hospital performs surgery on girl with giant head syndrome

 A 18-month-old Tripura girl, who was suffering from a rare genetic condition that has caused her head to swell to almost double its size, underwent a surgery at a private hospital in Gurgaon.

The surgery was conducted at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) where the girl, Roona Begum, was undergoing treatment for Hydrocephalus, a condition in which the head swelled due to accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in brain, since the past three weeks.

"The surgery went well, much better than expected. It is of course too early to comment on how she progresses. She is under close post-operative observation. Additional procedures will be required in the future," Dr Sandeep Vaishya, Additional Director (neurosurgery) in FMRI, said.

The girl had been admitted to Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon with her head measuring 94 cm, which the hospital claimed was amongst the largest documented in the history of medicine. Rendered untreated, the condition can lead to brain damage and blindness.

"At the time of admission to the hospital, nearly a month ago, the baby had infected pressure sores on the back of her head. We have been slowly draining fluid from her head in a calibrated manner using an Extra Ventricular Drain (EVD) to reduce the size of her head," Vaishya said.

He said initially the surgery was performed to remove the infected skin and the excess bone. "After the surgery, the head circumference had been brought down to a manageable 63 cm. Now, we have to performed the shunt surgery to drain the fluid."

Her treatment is being sponsored by the Fortis Foundation after her condition was highlighted in the national and international media. Her poor parents were unable to get her treated for the disease as it entailed high-end surgical intervention apart from high treatment cost.