Lima, Peru – Doctors separated the fused legs of a Peruvian baby during a risky, nationally televised operation Wednesday and said they hoped the vivacious, bright-eyed girl would be walking in two years.
But they cautioned that 13-month-old Milagros Cerron, who was born with a rare congenital defect known as sirenomelia, or “mermaid syndrome,” will need years of reconstructive surgery before she is fully healed.
The successful 4 1/2-hour operation was fitting for a baby whose first name means “miracles” in Spanish.
Milagros, affectionately called “the little mermaid” by Peruvians, was born with her legs fused together from her thighs to her ankles.
Doctors had planned to begin repairing the birth defect only up to the child’s knees, but Wednesday’s procedure exceeded their expectations and they separated the entire length of the legs.
At a news conference later Wednesday, Dr. Luis Rubio said Milagros had moved one of her legs since the operation. He said her legs would be kept bound together for five to 10 days so that she does no harm to them while they heal.
“After that, we will begin to flex the knees,” he said. “We’re hoping that within two years the little girl will be walking.”
He said only one more operation, instead of the expected additional two, was needed to fully reconstruct her hip area to allow her to walk.
But Rubio said Milagros would need up to 15 years of corrective surgery to repair her reproductive, digestive and other internal organs. Among other problems, she has a deformed left kidney and a very small right one located very low in her body.
Hours before the surgery, Milagros giggled and played on her hospital bed while Rubio, leader of a team of 11 surgeons who performed the operation, looked on.
Milagros weighs 14.75 pounds and measures 25 inches long, about the size and weight of a normal 6-month-old.
But her intellectual development has been remarkable, Rubio said.
“Happily, our little girl relates well to her surroundings, including speaking words, even giving orders, and that delights us all,” he said.
“Mermaid syndrome” occurs in one of every 70,000 births. There are only three known cases of children with the affliction alive today, Rubio said.
