An eight-month-old Indian boy, whose head had grown a second weighing almost a kilogram, underwent a complicated operation to remove it, which lasted more than five hours. According to doctors, the second head was a "parasitic twin", weighed almost a kilogram and had brain tissue inside.
A child named Tofajal suffered from a rare disease called encephalomeningocele. According to scientists, one in 40-45 thousand babies suffers from this disease. According to British tabloid Mail Online, the second head was removed by surgeons after a painstaking five-hour operation.
Neurosurgeon Sisir Das from Kolkata's Apollo Gleneagles Hospital told reporters after surgery: “Tofajal was born with a rare deformity that resulted in a second head on the top of the baby's head. I have never had to deal with such cases. It was a very important operation and the slightest wrong movement or careless cut could cost the child his life."
Tofajal's father said that he had practically given up hope, and did not believe that his son's illness could be cured.
“Most of the doctors and relatives in Tripura said that our child could not be cured and could die soon. After that, we decided to take him to Calcutta, despite the critical condition he was in,”he said.
Tofajal's parents
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“Nobody believed that my child would live, but with the blessing of Allah, he returned home,” added his wife.
Encephalomeningocele is a rare form of neural tube defect that is most commonly seen in patients living in Southeast Asia. With this disease, a protruding deformation forms on the head.
Doctors say Tofajala is showing signs of a quick recovery from surgery and hope he can lead a relatively normal life.