Girl Who Had Second Head Removed Goes Home

Girl Who Had 2nd Head Removed Goes Home


Sunday May 29, 2005 3:16 AM

AP Photo XAN106

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - A baby girl who underwent surgery to remove a second head that was sharing a blood vessel with her brain has been released from the hospital, her doctors said Saturday.

Manar Maged was born March 30, 2004, with a rare birth defect, craniopagus parasiticus, that occurs when an embryo begins to split into identical twins but fails to complete the process, leaving an undeveloped conjoined twin in the womb. Manar also has a healthy twin sister.

``God has blessed us, this is a day of happiness for us, the girl is very well and she'll be going home today,'' said Dr. Naseif Hefnawi, director of Benha Neonatal Hospital.

There were 10 previous cases like Manar's throughout the world when she underwent surgery on Feb. 19, and Manar was the only one to have survived the procedure, Hefnawi said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5038482,00.html