In a successful surgery, doctors at Noida’s Fortis Hospital treated a one-day-old newborn baby suffering from a rare brain condition in which there was a swollen lump on its neck. The lump was filled with fluid and it had a high risk of rupturing.

This condition is called cervical meningomyelocele.

At Fortis, the team of doctors led by Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director, Neurosurgery, Fortis Noida operated on the newborn and after three hours the swollen lump was removed.

The baby was born at a hospital in Ghaziabad and later moved to Fortis Noida on the same day as the swelling on the neck was unusually large and looked like an inflated balloon. After dressing the swelling to prevent any skin injury, the doctors conducted a cervical spine and brain MRI which showed the spinal cord going through the lump.

On diagnosing the condition, the doctors decided to perform the surgery immediately to remove the fluid-filled sac.

Sharing details of this complicated surgery, Dr. Gupta said: “This is a very rare condition and it is also very difficult to perform the surgery owing to the risk factors while operating on a one-day-old newborn. There was a high risk in giving anaesthesia to the baby and the dosage had to be very precisely administered.”

Going further he said that the baby’s tissues including the bones, muscles and ligaments are very thin and required a high-end operating microscope for magnifying them. Also, there was risk of leakage of brain fluid from the wound which needed meticulous closure of the wound.

Dr. Gupta revealed that following the surgery the baby was shifted to Neonatal ICU for post-operative care. “He was moving all four limbs and didn’t have any neurological symptoms. Had the surgery not been performed timely, it would have led to weakness in the limbs, with risk of infection and even death. The baby was kept under close observation by the doctors and nurses. His condition improved over the next 4 days and he was fit for discharge. We did a follow-up thorough examination after a week in the OPD and the baby is completely healthy now.”