Malformed Head Removed From Baby’s Abdomen

TEGUCIGALPA (EFE) – Hondurandoctors last weekend removed a malformedhead that was attached to a babyboy’s abdomen, the first such operationperformed in this Central Americannation, medical officials said Saturday.The baby responded well to the operation,but his condition was weak and hewas being kept in intensive care, chief ofpediatric surgery at Tegucigalpa’s state runHospital Materno Infantil, SamuelGarcía, told reporters.A team of 15 specialists at the hospitalperformed the four-hour surgery on thebaby, born to a 30-year-old mother of fiveon Monday at the same hospital.In statements published Saturday bylocal dailies, García said the operationwas not very complicated because the secondhead was not linked to the baby’sabdomen at the bone, but rather by bandsof cartilage and vascular and nerve structures.García said the malformation – whichhe said was the cranium of the child’smalformed Siamese twin – also was notattached to any vital organs.Other doctors involved in the operationdisagreed – in statements to the press– on whether the second head was functionalor not.In September, another child was bornwith a malformed second head at thesame hospital, but died a few days later.