Picture of Girl with 8 Limbs, Lakshimi Tatma
Lakshmi Tatma, a girl with 8 limbs (4 legs and 4 hands) at Diuri in Gaya district in Bihar of India, is reportedly undergoing a 40-hour operation, led by the consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Patil Mamatha, to correct the rare condition - known as isciopagus--today.
Even though Takshimi Tatma is regarded (watch video) as the reincarnation of the multi-limbed Hindu goddess Vishnu at her village, she can not walk or crawl and is unlikely to survive her teens without surgery.
Lakshmi Tatma was born joined to a 'parasitic twin' and will go under the knife at the hands of 30 surgeons to remove two of her useless arms and legs.
The X-ray picture above shows how the two bodies of Lakshmi Tatma are joined at the pelvis.
Lakshmi with mother Poonam and father Shambu who are from Rampur Kodar Katti - a remote settlement in Northen India without electricity or running water.
Update: Lakshmi Tatma has survived the rishky surgery:
An extensive operation on 2-year-old Lakshmi Tatma born with four arms and four legs went "wonderfully well" doctors said Wednesday as they announced that she was safe and stable after more than 24 hours of surgery.
A team of 30 doctors successfully removed the child's extra limbs, salvaged her organs, and rebuilt her pelvis area, Dr. Sharan Patil said Wednesday from a Bangalore hospital.
"Beyond our expectations, the reconstruction worked wonderfully well," Patil said.
Recovering: Lakshmi pictured in intensive care - with just four limbs instead of eight
Sources: Xinhua & Telegraph UK Tags: