The case happened in Vietnam on August 8. A 11-day-old baby was stabbed through the head with a knife. The knife is 28 cm in length, 2.7 cm in width, went from the upper of the left eye to the right side of the head. 11 cm of the blade lay in the forebrain. A surgery was performed to take the knife out, and miraculously, the baby survived. His condition is now somewhat stable. However, it is of no question that his brain is heavily damaged.
I want to ask all the doctors, professors and specialists with brain expertise that: is there any way we can help heal this injury? I heard that a baby brain is still actively developing until age 5, therefore I believe there is a high chance the damage can be healed and the brain function returns to normal if we intervene early. All the information will be transfer to Vietnam to help the case.
You can read more about this case and see the X-ray scan of the baby head through attached link.
You can also contact Dr. Dao Trung Hieu, vice president of Ho Chi Minh City Children Hospital No.1, the person directly performed the surgery, for more details.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/health/vietnamese-newborn-survives-after-11cm-stab-through-brain-49925.html
Dear Pham,
Looking at the basic imaging of skull and the reconstructed model, definitely the involvement of the frontal cortex is undeniably clear. However this basic imaging alone may not be suffice to accurately identify possible injuries to the cortical and subcortical structures in order to prognosticate outcome. More advance imaging sequence would be advisable (MRI Brain, T1, T2 Flair, FSPGR and if possible DTI sequence) and if this protocols could be repeated over time in the coming years., it may help the clinician to make more well informed decision. In the event of the local expertise on DTI post scan processing and data interpretation is not available in Ho Chi Minh, our team here in Malaysia would be happy to offer assistance.
You are right about the developing brain and its ability to readapt or realign functional areas (the element of neuroplasticity/neuromodulation) and these changes or structural alteration can be monitored through the imaging protocol aforementioned. The likelihood of certain functional recovery or adaptation is possible, depending on the brain structures that has been damaged or injured and the severity thereafter. What is more important in this stage, in my opinion, is to look out for possible inflammatory process/ infection arising from the introduction of foreign bodies into the cranial space. Besides that as a part of multidisciplinary management of the patient over time, the role of rehabilitation and neurocognitive evaluation should be considered, if possible.
Dear Dr. Duy Minh Pham,
Please find attached some encouraging cases about brain plasticity and the review about superior capacity of the developing human brain to reorganize itself.
Kind regards,
Tatyana
Thank you very much for your answers and your kind attention. It is indeed the infection that is now the most important. Right now they are using antibiotics to prevent infection to the baby.
I realized it is too soon now to have any conclusion about the condition of the baby. We will need a lot more tests to develop any way of treatment. The good news is that the baby seems to have recovered very well from the injury. He is now awake from the coma and can drink milk. His left eye can open, and shows no sign of being damaged. His hands and legs also have normal movements and reflexes, which is very amazing. Maybe the damage to his brain will be fully healed in the future. This is a really miraculous case of recovery from brain damage in history.
I will provide more updates if there is any news about the baby's condition in the future.
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