Indian boy gets fist-size brain matter hanging from face removed

Doctors recently performed life-changing surgery on an Indian teenage boy who suffered from a rare condition causing part of his brain matter to ooze out of his skull the size of a human fist.

The condition known as encephalocele, which is present at birth is a rare type of neural tube defect (NTD) that affects the brain, the Daily Mail reported. During the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy, the tube is a "narrow channel that folds and closes" to form the brain and spinal cord.

In 13-year-old Manikandan's case, it caused a part of his brain to bulge out of his skull, obstructing his vision and left him deformed. His encephlocele was so big that it pushed the "bone of his right eye outwards", the report revealed.

Manikandan, from Kerala led an isolated life because locals branded him ugly, the report added. "Because of the huge deformity on his face, he never went to school or mingled with others, as people used to make fun of his appearance," his father is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail.

His parents who are poor were desperate to find a treatment for their son and begged the government to help. This week a team of doctors at the Amrita Institute of Medical Science performed surgery on Manikandan to remove the deformity. It took them 11 hours to remove the ball of brain matter.

Doctors had to open his skull and isolate the normal brain from the brain matter that was hanging from his face and had no function. A portion of the skull also had to be reconstructed as the removal left a defect.

After surgery, Manikandan has made a full recovery and cannot wait to return home to make friends and start school. His family is grateful that he can now lead a normal life.

While there is still no way to prevent encephalocele, steps are being taken to lower the risk.