Baby born with four legs undergoes successful surgery
Surgeons at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, have performed a successful operation on a baby from the Ivory Coast born with two spines and an extra set of legs attached to her neck.
According to the Chicago Tribune, 10-month-old Dominique’s rare condition was caused by being born with a parasitic twin who never fully developed. A team of five surgeons had to separate bone, blood vessels and nerves during the six-hour operation on March 8, but reported it was a success and Dominique is now recovering at a foster home in Chicago.
"While it's not something that this hospital has done before, we certainly had the confidence we could plan and perform this surgery and have a good outcome at the end," said Robert Kellogg, MD, a neurosurgeon at Advocate. "We really do have the capacity to care for these very complicated patients that have a lot of needs."
For more on the procedure and pictures of Dominique before she had the extra legs removed, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.