Baby born with part of brain outside skull successfully saved at Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah
The baby was successfully delivered and kept under sterile conditions in the neonatal ICU
A 38-weeks pregnant Emirati female underwent a successful surgery in what could be termed as one of the most complex operations at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah when an ‘Occipital Encephalocele,’ was discovered in the expectant mother’s fetus.
Expressing his satisfaction on the overall success brought about the via teamwork, Michael Davis CEO of NMC Healthcare said, “Al Zahra Sharjah continues to serve the communities and I’m extremely proud of our team of dedicated doctors and surgeons performing this complex operation successfully and saving the life of a new-born.”
The baby was successfully delivered and kept under extreme sterile conditions in the neonatal ICU, where a team of pediatricians constantly monitored the health of the baby.
To tend to the baby’s brain outside the skull, a team under Dr Bobby Jose, specialist neurosurgeon & clinical administrator took over to perform the complex operation. In the first of the two-stage surgery, part of the brain lying outside the skull was carefully dissected and separated on the fourth day of the baby’s birth. The part was then placed back into the skull and an artificial membrane was used to cover the exposed part of the brain.
During the second part of the surgery performed on the eight day, the fluid gathered in the brain was drained out by performing a shunt surgery — where a tube was inserted from the brain into the stomach of the baby. To perform this surgery the baby was administered a high dose of anesthesia, keeping it unconscious for several hours.
Speaking about this breakthrough surgery, Dr Jose said, “It was an extremely complex case considering the age of the child and how 30 per cent of the baby’s brain was outside the skull. The part had to be carefully handled and repositioned inside the skull and recreating the covering of the brain was an extremely delicate and intricate job. The anesthesia for such a small child was very demanding which was well handled by our anesthesia team under Dr Hazem Daaji and Dr Ayman Hassan. The support of the pediatricians and neonatal team was very crucial in ensuring success of the surgery and outcome.”
The child was discharged on the 20th day, after exhibiting full recovery post the operation. Parents of the child were extremely happy with the outcome, especially considering the child’s slim chances of survival.