Baby with world's largest head' gets operated to drain fluid from skull

A seven-month-old boy from Ranpur State, in Odisha, has undergone a lifesaving operation to reduce the size of his head by close to 30cm. Mrityunjay, was labelled the ‘ghost baby’ and ‘giant head’, after his head swelled to 96cm due to a serious condition called hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus is caused by the excess fluid inside the brain. Mrityunjay was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital at Bhuwaneshwar on November 20th. Soon doctors will perform a cranoplasty to reshape his inflated skull. “Now, the circumference of the head has come down from 96cm to 70cm. The cognitive functions of the child have improved a lot, he is stable and has responded well to the treatment,” Dr Dilip Parida, superintendent of the AIIMS hospital at Bhuwaneshwar, told the Daily Mail.

The treatment, which would have otherwise cost more than Rs.5 lakh, has been provided for free to the patient.