Jan 04, 2011

Boy sustains scars from multiple surgeries to correct birth defect

A rare congenital abnormality has left three-year-old Ethan Hendry with permanent scars from numerous surgical operations, the Daily Record reports.

The boy was born with amniotic band syndrome (ABS), a condition in which the mother's amniotic sac tears and causes problems with the developing baby's limbs. Ethan was delivered via emergency Caesarean section and immediately underwent surgery to remove constriction in his upper arm. Since then, he has endured three other major operations.

"I always asked, 'Why Ethan?' It seemed so unfair, but I had great support from friends and family," admitted his mother, quoted by the news source. "At the top of his arm, there's a zigzag scar where he had 140 stitches. He tells his friends he was bitten by a crocodile - he has some imagination."

According to InheritedHealth.com, ABS can affect 1 in 1,200 births, and often results in webbed toes, defects of the spine, bone growth abnormalities and oral-facial clefts.

Individuals who must undergo multiple surgical operations may find that the use of silicone gel sheeting can help them reduce the appearance of scars. 

 

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