Surgeons separate legs of Peruvian ‘little mermaid’

LIMA, Peru – Doctors successfully 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 4½-hour operation was fitting for a baby whose name, Milagros, 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.

“This is the final result that we have come to in this extraordinary surgical intervention,” said Dr. Luis Rubio, holding up Milagros’ legs in a V-shape, displaying the line of stitches extending up from her heels to her inner thighs. “We have mobility of the independent knee joints.

“This surgical intervention has been a true success,” he said.

At a news conference later Wednesday, 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.

Lima Mayor Luis Castaneda, who has become Milagros’ godfather, visited her Wednesday morning and said he was pleased with her progress but saddened by the pain she must face in recovery.

“I’m especially happy because of the affectionate relationship I have developed with little Milagros,” he said.

The Lima municipality is helping to pick up the costs of her treatment. Castaneda said it was a long-term commitment to help her parents, who are from a poor village in Peru’s Andes mountains.