Roona Begum
Roona Begum

A toddler whose head swelled up to three times its normal size has undergone surgery which could save her life.

Roona Begum caught the world's attention when images of her plight were published in a last-ditch bid to help her get treatment.

She suffered an extreme case of hydrocephalus, which means that water collects in the head instead of being absorbed into the body.

Doctors in Agartala, northeast India, where Roona lives, said that the amount of excess fluid makes up around half the 18-month-old's body weight.

Experts had abandoned nearly all hope that Roona's life could be saved. Without treatment, she is almost certain to die but her father, Abdul, could not afford to pay for surgery.

But well-wishers around the world have clubbed together and raised £34,000 to give Roona the chance of a more normal life.

Treatment is under way and doctors are positive. They drained some of the liquid from her head and inserted a shunt to direct the liquids toward her stomach for it to be absorbed naturally into her body.

Surgeon Sandeep Vaishya said: "The surgery went perfectly - much better than expected.

"It's a success but it's too early to say what the quality of her future life will be like."

Roona will face plenty of challenges when the lengthy procedure is complete.

Her body is seriously under-developed because her very rare condition has caused limited mobility.

Vaishya said that strengthening her would become a priority.

"Her neck muscles are very underdeveloped so she will need more nutrition and extensive physiotherapy to make her stronger," Vaishya said.

"Her body will have to grow strong so she can learn to sit up and move about and live a normal life."

Abdul Begum added: "The day she was born, the doctor said there were no guarantees she would survive.

"I figured we would do our best for as long as we could and Allah would help us with the rest."

India