

Baby Roona Begum , who was suffering from a rare congenital disorder which had caused her head to swell to 94cm, is all set to return to her home in Tripura after doctors further reduced her head size to 57cm.

Baby Roona, diagnosed with hydrocephalus , was first admitted to Fortis hospital in Gurgaon in April 2013, where she underwent several complex procedures, including cranial vault re-modelling procedures from May to August, for reducing the size of her head which had swollen to three times that of a normal baby.

Hydrocephalus is more common among infants and is caused by overproduction, obstruction or lack of absorption of the cerebral fluid in the brain.

Daughter of a daily wage labourer, Roona, was discharged on August 1, 2013 after 105 days of stay at the hospital. She returned for second round of treatment in November and during her stay, surgeons performed re-modelling on the anterior part of her skull to further reduce and reshape her head.

"Roona's health has shown a marked improvement over the last few months, and in particular, since her last surgery. When she came to us for the second time in November, she was able to move her head sideways," a doctor treating her said.

"With her last procedure, she is now able to sleep on her belly, which will eliminate the complication of painful bed sores. She is taking slow but sure steps towards recovery," surgeon and director of neurosurgery Sandeep Vaishya said.

Senior consultant for plastic and reconstructive surgery, Rashmi Taneja, who was also part of the team treating her, said, "She will require a couple of surgeries later. It is heartening to see her improved vitals, increased head mobility and playfulness in her behaviour."

With her head size growing day-by-day, and doctors failing to treat her, her parents, Abdul Rehman and Fatima, watched her lie helpless before they on the bed in their two-room mud hut with her head so heavy that she could barely move.

They then brought her to Fortis, where the doctors took it as a challenge and finally succeeded in reducing her head size to 57cm from 94cm.

Now, with signs of improvement in her health, Roona's parents are quite confident that she will make it through. agencies

THE CASE

Roona Begum, 21-month-old, suffered from Hydrocephalus, a rare disorder that caused her head to double in size.

Her head circumference had been growing since birth and was an unprecedented 94 cms, making it one of the most complex cases for doctors.

She was admitted to Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in serious condition on April 16, 2013. She was suffering from respiratory infection, could not see, and needed constant support for head. She was severely malnourished and had boils on her head. Doctors had said that chances of her survival were "very feeble".

Five surgeries have been conducted in a span of three-and-a-half month to dramatically reduce the size of her skull to 58 cms.

Doctors say, it is first case of Hydrocephalus where so much swelling has been successfully removed.

TIMELINE

May 8, 2013

An extra ventricular drain (EVD) was set up to slowly reduce the intracranial pressure caused by the excessive build-up of CSF. This helped in bringing down the size of her head. A skull remodeling surgery was also done to remove the infected skin and the excess bone.

May 15, 2013

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was surgically inserted to provide a more permanent and alternate pathway to drain the fluid.

May 20, 2013

Remodelling of anterior cranial vault was done.

June 27, 2013

Remodelling of posterior cranial vault and vertex was done.

July 11, 2013

Anteroposterior was further reduced and lateral diameter of skull was performed.

November 29, 2013

A follow up reconstructive surgery was performed.

