Doctors in the U.S. are battling to save a baby whose head has expanded to more than twice its normal size.
The tragic ten month old, identified as Baby Klaus, is undergoing emergency treatment for a rare condition known as hydrocephalus, or water on the brain.
There are fears the baby could end up blind, deaf or even brain damaged as a result of the massive swelling.
Neurosurgeons have begun draining fluid from the baby boy's skull which is 131 per large than normal.
The tragic ten month old, identified as Baby Klaus, is undergoing emergency treatment for a rare condition known as hydrocephalus, or water on the brain.
There are fears the baby could end up blind, deaf or even brain damaged as a result of the massive swelling.
Neurosurgeons have begun draining fluid from the baby boy's skull which is 131 per large than normal.
His parents Klaus Sr. and Beatrice released heart wrenching photographs of their son in the hope of raising awareness about the medical condition.
In the photographs, the baby's swollen head dwarfts his tiny body.
The couple claim they were effectively told to let their son die by some doctors near their home in West Texas.
Pleas for surgery to relieve the massive swelling were rejected as his parents were told their son would not live past a year.
It was only after they found a support group for others suffering from the condition that they were put in contact with neurosurgeon Dr David Jimenez at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
In the photographs, the baby's swollen head dwarfts his tiny body.
The couple claim they were effectively told to let their son die by some doctors near their home in West Texas.
Pleas for surgery to relieve the massive swelling were rejected as his parents were told their son would not live past a year.
It was only after they found a support group for others suffering from the condition that they were put in contact with neurosurgeon Dr David Jimenez at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
He has begun treatment to drain the fluid from baby Klaus's head, a process which could take several weeks.
“It’s like nothing that I’ve seen before,” Jimenez stated.
“This is something that probably is going to take weeks, maybe over a month, maybe longer until we get to the point that we’re comfortable enough to put in a permanent shunt.'
He added:" "I don't know what the original cause of Klaus' hydrocephalus is.
"At this point, the head is so large that it is difficult to tell."
Baby Klaus was born with the rare condition which affects one in 500 hundreds births.
Hydrocephalus is due to a problem with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
“It’s like nothing that I’ve seen before,” Jimenez stated.
“This is something that probably is going to take weeks, maybe over a month, maybe longer until we get to the point that we’re comfortable enough to put in a permanent shunt.'
He added:" "I don't know what the original cause of Klaus' hydrocephalus is.
"At this point, the head is so large that it is difficult to tell."
Baby Klaus was born with the rare condition which affects one in 500 hundreds births.
Hydrocephalus is due to a problem with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
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