Lucknow, Dec 16 (IANS): Doctors at the paediatric surgery department of the King George's Medical University (KGMU) here have successfully performed a life-saving surgery on a three-month-old boy suffering from a rare congenital disorder called bilateral nasal encephalocele.

In this birth defect, the brain of the baby was not fully closed through temporal bones. As a result, spinal and brain fluids start accumulating out of the skull posing threat to the life of the baby.

The baby's family hails from Mainpuri district and the child was born in Saifai Medical College in September.

However, the baby was referred to KGMU a day after delivery.

Head of paediatric surgery department, KGMU, Prof J D Rawat, said: "In the two-and-a-half-hour surgery, we successfully removed fluid, placed the brain to its usual place and closed the opening. Now, the baby is fine and will be discharged at the weekend.

"This disorder is found in one child out of 40,000 live births and occurs in cases where women do not take enough nutrition, especially folic acid and iron during pregnancy. Such a case was successfully operated at our hospital for the first time. It was very difficult to give anaesthesia to the baby because the gas mask was not fitting due to swelling in the frontal lobe. Experts used cotton to fill gaps in the gas mask to prevent leakage."

The doctor said that though the baby will still need some corrective surgeries in coming days to minimise face deformity, he will now be able to live a normal life otherwise.

Vipin Kumar, father of the baby, said: "We had lost all hope, but doctors have given a new life to my child."