Published on October 4, 2023
Ahmedabad: The Civil Hospital received a newborn with a rare congential defect characterized by joints fixed in fetal position, webbing and connected limbs among others. The baby, the second child of a Kheda couple, was successfully operated on by a team of surgeons. Dr Rakesh Joshi, HOD of pediatric surgery and medical superintendent of the hospital, said that they realized the case of pterygium syndrome to be a rare anomaly from the medical records.
“An extremely rare occurrence, there are about 50 cases reported worldwide. In our case, it was characterized by the fixed fetal position of the bones, making it difficult for the child to move. Moreover, the amniotic bands, the inner lining of the uterus, were tangled at three places in the body including on the girl’s right hand and leg,” said Dr Joshi.
The connection was operated upon, and the limbs freed. The team of surgeons was led by Dr Joshi and the anaesthetic team was led by Dr Bhavana and Dr Namrata. The hospital said the surgery has been successful and plastic surgeons too have been called in for further procedure in the case.
The origin of the disorder is believed to be genetic as the patient often has multiple deformities. Experts said that early detection and diagnosis allows doctors to plan surgeries and help normal growth of skeleton and limbs.
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