Delhi docs give new lease of life to 5-day old baby with rare brain condition

Doctors at a hospital in Delhi have successfully treated a fivedayold infant diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus a rare neurological condition involving an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the brainThe condition was detected during the last trimester of the pregnancy This allowed helped the medical team at Manipal Hospital Dwarka to initiate the treatment immediately after birth to prevent potential neurological damageThe hospital said in a statement that the mother was recommended to undergo a fetal MRI to assess the extent of the condition followed by counselling for the parentsAccording to doctors congenital hydrocephalus is a condition present at birth It causes the head to enlarge due to excess fluid building up in the brain and increased pressureThe condition can occur due to problems in brain development during pregnancy genetic factors or blocked fluid flow which can further lead to serious brain damage if not treated in timeFollowing delivery the newborn was placed under close observation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICUSurgeons performed a delicate procedure to implant a programmable ventriculoperitoneal VP shunt The device drains excess fluid from the brain to relieve intracranial pressure the hospital saidDr Anurag Saxena Cluster Head of Neurosurgery for Delhi NCR said the condition can cause serious and irreversible neurological damage If left unaddressed it can lead to severe brain injury developmental delays seizures and may also turn lifethreateningIn this case the biggest advantage was the early diagnosis during pregnancy which allowed us to plan the surgery well in advance Dr Saxena said He added that neurosurgery on a newborn is challenging due to delicate anatomy very low circulating blood volume risks of hypothermia and the complexities of anaesthesiaDr Meenu Grewal Consultant Neonatologist said the baby showed a smooth and stable recovery in the NICU with no postoperative complications She noted that early intervention significantly reduced the risk of longterm complicationsThe multidisciplinary team led by Dr Saxena along with Dr Tejasvi Singh and Dr Ankit KauraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever