Doctors Baffle As A Baby Girl Being Born With 3 Heads

Family members are said to be “in shock” following the unusual birth last Thursday. The mum was admitted to a health centre in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district after suffering extreme pain in the build up to her labour. But relatives and doctors were stunned when she delivered a baby with three “heads”. 

The baby girl has two large protrusions formed from the back of her skull – rare birth defects that are known as encephaloceles. Medics said the mum had not experienced any complications during her pregnancy. She was later referred to the District Hospital in Etah as the health centre lacked advanced medical facilities. Doctors said that they would conduct a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to determine the medical condition that caused the abnormality.

RARE CONDITION

"This is a very rare medical condition," explained Rajesh Thakur, Chief Medical Superintendent, District Hospital, Etah.

“The child’s body has not fully developed. We will perform an MRI scan and then perform a surgery to separate the ‘heads’”.

Although rare, there have been other reports of babies being born with more than one head, especially in African nations. This type of birth defect is referred to as an encephalocele. According to the NHS, an encephalocele is a rare congenital type of neural tube defect where part of the skull has not formed properly. So a portion of brain tissue and associated structures are outside the skull. 

LOW SURVIVAL RATE

According to reports, babies diagnosed with an encephalocele have a 55 per cent survival rate. The long-term prognosis for survival becomes less likely if there are other complications, such as associated defects or syndromes or if brain tissue protrudes into the sac. Approximately 75 per cent of these infants who do survive have varying degrees of mental deficit. On March 4, an expert team of neurosurgeons at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) successfully operated on an infant with two heads. According to reports, the father of the newborn had tried to bury him alive, fearing he would not be able to afford his treatment.