AIIMS doctors to operate on baby with giant head

BHUBANESWAR: Doctors at AIIMS Bhubaneswar are getting ready to perform surgery on a six-month-old baby with a giant head, which is among the world's largest, within the next two to three days. Dr Dilip Parida, superintendent of the AIIMS hospital, said the boy's head has swelled to 95 cm (circumference) due to hydrocephalus (water in the brain).

Roona Begum, a Tripura-born girl had made headlines around the world after her head swelled up to 94 cm due to similar medical condition in 2011. "We are checking medical records across the globe to verify if an hydrocephalus existed of an even bigger size," he said.

The baby's parents are from Ranpur area in Nayagarh district. "We don't know what to do, where to go? After making rounds of many other hospitals, we finally brought him here three days ago (Thursday)," the baby's mother was quoted as saying by AIIMS. The AIIMS superintendent also said the family should not be identified as that would violate the patient's right to privacy.

"People are saying so many things. Some said he is a ghost, others said he is alien. Many made beelines to have a glimpse of him. It's a difficult situation for the family," said a close relative of the baby who is present in the hospital.

Parida said because the baby came to the hospital late, the size of his head has increased. "It's a congenital (since birth) condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the skull instead of flowing from brain to the spinal cord. This fluid enlarged and deformed the head," Parida said.

A team led by Dr Manoj Mohanty will perform a series of surgeries on the baby. "The accumulated fluid will be released gradually since sudden discharge may harm the brain. A passage will be created to ensure that the CSF flow from brain to spinal cord is established," said a doctor who is part of the team that would operate on the baby.