As doctors attempt a sustainable solution to her rare condition, two-year-old Roona Begum, who underwent complex procedures a few months ago for reducing the size of her head which had swollen to three times that of a normal baby, has returned from Tripura for treatment.
Suffering from a rare congenital disorder, hydrocephalus, which had caused Roona's head to swell to 94cm, her plight had moved many, leading to offers of help.
She has returned to the Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon for a review of her condition and follow-up treatment.
Daughter of a daily wage labourer, Roona had undergone multiple complex procedures at the hospital four months ago to bring her head circumference reduced down to 58 cm.
"The earlier surgeries we performed not only helped the child survive a potentially fatal condition but also enabled her to attain improved weight, nutritional status and vitals. The team will now examine Roona to see how she has responded and decide on her follow-up treatment," treating surgeon and Director, Neurosurgery, Dr Sandeep Vaishya said.
Roona was first admitted to the hospital on April 16, this year. On May 15, an extra ventricular drain (EVD) was set up to reduce the pressure exerted by excessive build-up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
This brought down the size of her head over a three-week period. Thereafter, a shunt was surgically inserted as a more permanent and alternate pathway to drain the fluid.
Roona then underwent four cranial vault remodelling procedures, the latest on July 11, to correct her skull bone structure using pressure bandages.
After 105 days at the hospital, the child was finally discharged on August 1.
"I am confident that the team will once again direct its expertise toward finding a sustainable solution to her rare condition," said Regional Director, Dr Dilpreet Brar.
