Videos, Pics: Girl Born With 8 Limbs Undergoes Surgery

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Girl Born With 8 Limbs Undergoes Surgery
Medical Team Includes 30 Doctors
Last Edited: Tuesday, 06 Nov 2007, 9:54 AM CST
Created: Tuesday, 06 Nov 2007, 8:01 AM CST

By KASHIL MASOOD

Associated Press Writer

BANGALORE, India -- Doctors began operating on a 2-year-old girl born with four arms and four legs Tuesday in an extensive surgery that they hope will leave the girl with a normal body, a hospital official said.

The girl is joined to a "parasitic twin" that stopped developing in the mother's womb. The surviving fetus absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus.

The girl, Lakshmi, is named after the four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth, and some in her village in the northern state of Bihar revere her as a goddess.

Others sought to make money from her. Her parents, Shambhu and Poonam, hid her after a circus apparently tried to buy the girl, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. The members of the family only go by their first names.

Doctors at Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore, where Lakshmi is undergoing surgery, said she is popular among the medical staff and other patients.

"She's a very cute girl," Dr. Patil Mamatha of Sparsh Hospital. "She's very playful and gets along well with others."

The complications for Lakshmi's surgery are myriad: The two spines are merged, the girl has four kidneys, entangled nerves, two stomach cavities and two chest cavities. She cannot stand up or walk.

"We have high hopes of everything going fine and everything is going fine now," Mamatha said.

The hospital's foundation is paying for the operation because the girl's family could not afford the medical bills, Mamatha said. A team of 30 doctors was participating in the surgery.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

OMG
please that evrything goes well

So...does she actually have control over those 4 extra limbs? It would actually be pretty cool having 4 hands lol

Omg thats so sad, I hope everything goes ok! : yeah:

just proves that x-men do exists...
and science trying to control them..

just proves that x-men do exists...
and science trying to control them..

:unsure:

Call me dumb if you like, but I didn't realise human biology could be that extreeme. I mean I knew people could be born with like toes and and fingers etc., but double the amount of limbs!!!

Well good luck to her, I hope she has a wonderful life.

Call me dumb if you like, but I didn't realise human biology could be that extreeme. I mean I knew people could be born with like toes and and fingers etc., but double the amount of limbs!!!

Well good luck to her, I hope she has a wonderful life.

The girl is joined to a "parasitic twin" that stopped developing in the mother's womb. The surviving fetus absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus.

Meanwhile bless her little heart.. Hope the surgery goes well :sad:

The girl is joined to a "parasitic twin" that stopped developing in the mother's womb. The surviving fetus absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus.

Thanks for enlightening my limited scientific knowledge :)

if she could control her other limbs it would be pretty cool!

however, for her sake, i hpe the surgery is a success.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/07sld01.htm

Medical marvel gives Lakshmi a new life
November 7, 2007
It was a historic moment for Indian medical science when a team of 36 doctors successfully operated upon two-year-old Lakshmi -- a conjoined twin.

A beaming team of doctors headed by Dr Sharan Shivraj Patil announced on Wednesday morning that the 27-hour-long surgery had been completed and Lakshmi was safe now. The doctor was, however, quick to add that she was still under observation.
Doctors said the operation was expected to last 40 hours, but they were able to complete it in 27 hours. The doctors who started operating upon Lakshmi on Tuesday had successfully separated the spines of the conjoined twin. The orthopedic surgeon had reconstructed the pelvic wing, Dr Patil said, adding that the major achievement was bringing the pelvic ring bones together. "This almost does away with another process," Dr Patil said.

Lakshmi was born two years on Diwali in Araria village in Bihar. Although the people of the village treated her as a re-incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, for doctors she was an ischiopagus conjoined twin.

One of the twins is headless and has two pairs of arms and legs. The villagers offered to build a temple in her name and there was also a circus company, which had offered the parents a lot of money, if they gave her to them.
The parents who are very attached to this child rushed to Delhi, but the doctors said that no surgery could be performed. By then, Dr Patil of the Sparsh hospital had read about the girl in the news papers and rushed to Bihar and offered free medical help. He said the parents did not have to worry about the medical costs before bringing the child to Bangalore. The complicated operation cost Rs 26 lakh.

There were joyous scenes at the hospital when the doctor announced that the operation had been a success. Lakshmi's parents who were present at the hospital were anxious throughout the operation. The moment doctors gave them the good news, both broke down in joy.

Lakshmi's father Shambu said this was the biggest Diwali gift. "Lakshmi was born two years ago on Diwali and this year, she is okay. What more can I ask for," Shambu said.
Dr Patil said doctors were very excited and did not intend to go home for the next two days.
The biggest challenge was to maintain stability in the child while the operation was being performed, he said, adding that another achievement was that they did not jeoparadise any aspect of Lakshmi during the operation. He thanked all those who had prayed for the child, including actor Shah Rukh Khan who had sent in his wishes.

Doctors say it is too early to say what would happen to Lakshmi next.

This is a rare condition and such surgeries take place only once in 50,000 cases. There have been similar cases in the past, but the success rate has been negligible.
Doctors said it may take at least a few more months before Lakshmi could be normal. They, however, say that the real challenge will start now and the child has to be monitored continuously.
The parents say they will stay on in Bangalore until their child recovers and then go back to their village in Bihar. They have not yet seen their child after the surgery. According to the doctors, the child will be on ventilator for the next 48 hours and the parents could only see her later in the evening. However, they will not be able to talk to her.

Fantastic that it all worked out, I wish hoer a happy and healthy life!

Have a great life!

glad it went well, i hope the rest of her life is blessed and joyous.

it is too early for this cuz i gotta weak stomach but i do pray for the lil girl!

Wow, i hope she goes well.

It says she got four arms, i only can see two arms lol.

The second set of arms are at the bottom of her body. It goes Arms, Legs, Legs, Arms.

Anyway, it's great the surgery was a success, hopefully everything goes great in recovery and she is better soon.