Young Kyra was born with a frontal encephalocele and faces complex surgery to address it so that she doesn’t lose her vision

A six-month-old baby has to undergo a highly challenging surgery to address part of her brain extending through her facial area.

The TLC documentary Body Bizarre follows tiny Kyra, who was born nine weeks prematurely with a frontal encephalocele — a condition in which part of her brain extends outward through the nasal area.

The medical team in Connecticut uses a pioneering technique with a $400,000 3D printer, creating a replica of Kyra’s tiny skull so they can carefully plan where they will make incisions during surgery.

The reconstruction of Kyra’s face is such a difficult procedure because she is so small that doctors use three different versions of her skull to work out how they can best help her.

Medical staff are eager to address the growth as it is threatening her sight, but it is a worrying procedure for her parents as it carries many serious risks.

Mum Jamie tells the cameras: “This kind of surgery scares me just in itself for any kid but for somebody so little, I think it’s even worse.”

Doctors spend two hours preparing the tiny patient for anaesthesia before a team of 20 undertakes the nine-hour surgery.

In intense scenes, Kyra’s face is carefully opened as surgeons address the brain tissue and then try to graft a piece of bone onto her nasal area.

The medical team struggles with the delicate bones of the youngster’s face, and there is a major concern that the graft may not heal correctly.

Her parents face an agonising wait before they find out whether the surgery has been successful.

Source: The Mirror