Welcome to the Podiatry Arena forums, for communication between foot health professionals about podiatry and related topics.
You are currently viewing our podiatry forum as a guest which gives you limited access to view all podiatry discussions and access our other features. By joining our free global community of Podiatrists and other interested foot health care professionals you will have access to post podiatry topics (answer and ask questions), communicate privately with other members (PM), upload content, view attachments, receive a weekly email update of new discussions, earn CPD points and access many other special features. Registered users do not get displayed the advertisments in posted messages. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our global Podiatry community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Doctors Successfully Separate Legs of 'Mermaid Baby'
Quote:
A team of 11 doctors at Lima's Solidarity Hospital took part in the operation, including plastic surgeons, pediatricians, and heart specialists. Thirteen-month-old Milagros Cerron was born with a rare congenital defect known as sirenomelia, or "mermaid syndrome," with her legs fused together from her thighs to her ankles...
Update on this story from Associated Press: Peru's 'miracle baby' walks on her own
April 20, 2007
Quote:
Peru's "miracle baby" walked around her nursery school yard Friday, ducking in and out of a plastic playhouse seven months after undergoing an operation to fully separate her fused legs.
Milagros Cerron, whose first name means "miracles" in Spanish, was born with a rare congenital defect known as sirenomelia, or "mermaid syndrome," which left her legs connected from her heels to her groin.
Dr. Luis Rubio, head of the medical team that separated Milagros' legs, invited reporters to see her progress on Friday. He said doctors have successfully reconstructed the child's hips, knees and ankles and that she is "doing well physically."
But Rubio said Milagros — who is called "the little mermaid" by Peruvians — will need another operation in about two years to reconstruct and repair her urinary and sexual organs.
"We've gotten past the first stage, but it's not the last," Rubio said. "There's a long way to go."
Milagros, who turns 3 years old next week, now takes ballet classes and runs around the playground with her classmates.
In June 2005 doctors successfully performed risky surgery to separate her legs to above her knees. The operation seven months ago was to separate the remaining four inches of fused tissue just below the groin.
Rubio has said Tiffany Yorks, a 17-year-old American, is the only other person known to have undergone successful surgery to correct the rare congenital defect, which occurs in one out of every 70,000 births and is almost always fatal within days of birth.
Milagros' family comes from a poor village in the Andes mountains but Lima's municipal government has agreed to pay for her medical care.
Doctors Separate Legs of 'Mermaid Baby'
almost 2 years later....
Linear Mode
