|
 |
| Manar was born with a rare
condition |
Doctors have operated successfully to remove a
second head from a 10-month-old baby.
Manar Maged was originally one of conjoined
identical twins, but her sister failed to develop in the womb
.
As a result she was born with a second head
attached to her own - a condition known as craniopagus parasiticus
.
Manar, who was otherwise healthy, underwent a 13-hour operation at
Benha Children's Hospital, Cairo, on Saturday. She is reported to be
stable.
Doctors said the second head was capable of smiling and blinking - but
not of independent life.
The weight of it meant that although Manar developed normally, she
could not sit or crawl.
A 13-strong team operated on Manar, separating her brain from the
conjoined organ in small stages.
Surgery was complex, as the conjoined head shared a blood vessel with
Manar's brain.
The surgeons had to cut off the blood supply to
Manar's head without triggering a potentially fatal surge of blood to
Manar's heart.
Following surgery, Manar could move all four limbs
and showed no signs of paralysis
.
She is breathing normally and has a normal heartbeat and blood
pressure.
However, Dr Abla al-Alfi, senior consultant at the hospital's neonatal
intensive care unit, said there was concern about the baby's liver, which
had not functioned normally since the surgery.
Manar is likely to remain in intensive care for another week while
doctors carefully monitor her progress.
Similar surgery was attempted on a girl in the Dominican Republic last
year. However, the child died.
(BBC) | 
Updated: 2005-02-22 14:48