Baby born with 'foot in brain` is removed

A NEWBORN baby has had a tumour removed from his brain – containing two tiny FEET, a little HAND and a THIGH.

Doctors at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado operated on three-day old Sam Esquibel after finding what looked like a microscopic tumour on an MRI scan.

MRI scan showed little Sam Esquibel had a microscopic tumour. But when Doctors looked closer he saw one perfectly formed foot and the other partially formed body parts.
The growth which was removed surgically may have been a case of "foetus in foetu" in which a twin begins to form within its sibling.
Dr Grabb, Operating paeditric neurosurgeon, said: "It looked like the breach delivery of a baby, coming out of the brain.
"To find a perfectly formed structure (like this) is extremely unique, unusual, borderline unheard of."

Sam’s parents, Tiffnie and Manuel Esquibel, say their son is at home now but faces monthly blood tests to check for signs of cancer or regrowth.

He will also need physical therapy to improve the use of his neck.

But they said he has mostly recovered from the surgery.

First Almost Total Face Transplant made possible

Eight specialists transplanted bone, muscle, blood vessels and nerves in the 22-hour operation of the first almost-total face transplant performed by surgeons in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr Maria Siemionow, the reconstructive surgeon in charge of the operation, said 80% of the woman's face was replaced with that of a dead female donor.


At the Cleveland Clinic, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, in Cleveland. Doctors performing the nation's first near-total face transplant. Doctors replaced nearly all of the woman's face, 80 percent, with that of a donated female cadaver during the 22-hour surgery.


Doctors who took part in the nation's first near-total face transplant, at a Cleveland Clinic news conference.

Earlier Cases :


Here is the first ever partial face transplant case.
Name of the recipient :Isabelle Dinoire, Procedure performed :partial face-transplant . Photos:L-R: Before accident; 12 months after accident with makeup; 18 months after accident without makeup.


The second ever face transplant was a Chinese man who had sustained injury from a Black Bear attack. He received a new upper lip, cheek and nose from a brain-dead donor.

Here is his Pre and Post- operation images.His surname is Li.
Li underwent the operation at a Xi'an hospital with help from a voluntary organization. The operation, which was successful, started on April 13, 2004 and lasted 13 hours.