An Indian toddler with hydrocephalus appears to be in better shape after a life-saving surgery.
Runa Begum, whose age has been reported as 15 or 16 months, suffered from the "water on the brain" condition that caused her head to swell to nearly twice its normal size.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images 'The surgery went perfectly, much better than expected,' Runa's surgeon said.
She underwent surgery at a hospital in Guragon, near New Delhi, on May 15, AFP reported.
"The surgery went perfectly, much better than expected," surgeon Sandeep Vaishya told the news agency. "It's definitely a success but it's too early to say what the quality of her future life will be like.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty ImagesRuna Begum goes into surgery at a hospital in Guragon, India. The one-year-old girl suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up around the brain, causing the head to swell.
Doctors have reduced the swelling by a third, allowing them to perform the operation in which excess fluid was redirected from her head into her bloodstream.
But she will still need plenty of medical attention, Vaishya said.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images A relief agency stepped up to pay for Runa's costly surgery.
"Her neck muscles are very under-developed, so she will need more nutrition and extensive physiotherapy to make her stronger," he said. "Her body will have to grow strong so she can learn to sit up and move about and live a normal life."
Hydrocephalus can also leave adverse effects on the brain, including learning disabilities, visual and motor impairment or epilepsy.
The little girl drew the attention of concerned well-wishers around the world when photos of her first surfaced in April.
Her family, from a small town in northeast India, was unable to afford the costly medical care, but a relief agency stepped in to foot the bill.
Runa Begum, whose age has been reported as 15 or 16 months, suffered from the "water on the brain" condition that caused her head to swell to nearly twice its normal size.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images 'The surgery went perfectly, much better than expected,' Runa's surgeon said. "The surgery went perfectly, much better than expected," surgeon Sandeep Vaishya told the news agency. "It's definitely a success but it's too early to say what the quality of her future life will be like.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty ImagesRuna Begum goes into surgery at a hospital in Guragon, India. The one-year-old girl suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up around the brain, causing the head to swell.
But she will still need plenty of medical attention, Vaishya said.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images A relief agency stepped up to pay for Runa's costly surgery. Hydrocephalus can also leave adverse effects on the brain, including learning disabilities, visual and motor impairment or epilepsy.
The little girl drew the attention of concerned well-wishers around the world when photos of her first surfaced in April.
Her family, from a small town in northeast India, was unable to afford the costly medical care, but a relief agency stepped in to foot the bill.
