A YOUNG Vietnamese girl is finally free of a disfiguring 7kg facial tumour after a marathon 12 hour operation.
Surgeons in Miami removed the Schwannoma tumour that had consumed the lower half of 15-year-old Lai Thi Dao's face.
The growth first appeared when Lai was three and it eventually accounted for roughly one-third of her total body weight, Fox News reported.
Specialists at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center told The Miami Herald Lai's tumour was one of the largest ever reported and had threatened to cut off her airway.
Doctors said the size of Lai's tumour was extremely rare, but it probably won't return once it's removed.
Schwannoma tumours are usually benign.
Lai now hopes to finally attend high school once she recovers and returns to Vietnam.
The International Kids Fund, an organisation which assists foreign children with urgent medical needs, is seeking donations to cover the cost of the surgery.
Pre-op ... Lai Thi Dao's face before the marathon operation to remove the 7kg tumour / AP
Lifesaving ... without surgery, the tumour's rapid growth would have eventually led to the closing of Lai's throat and collapse of her upper airways, doctors said / AP
Success ... Lai responded very well to surgery, but is still in a serious condition, doctors said / AP
'Rare condition' ... Rex Xin from China underwent a lengthy operation to remove a "spare" arm from her back / Reuters
"Tree man"... but in Indonesia, experts are still trying to find out why a man has grown incredibly long warts on his hands and feet that resemble tree roots / AFP
Hope ... Dede's warts are thought to be life threatening but American dermatologist Anthony Gaspari (L) is hopeful he will be able to successfully treat the 35-year-old's condition / AFP
Recovering ... in India, Lakshmi Tatma - a two-year-old girl born with fours arms and four legs - has been more lucky. A team of 30 surgeons were able to successfully remove the little girl's extra limbs / AP
Rare condition ... Lakshmi, seen here with her mother Poonam and father Shambu, suffered defects due to her headless identical twin sister being joined at her pelvis without developing or separating properly in the womb / AFP
Worshipped ... Lakshmi, pictured before the operation, was named after the four-armed Indian goddess of wealth / AP
Hopeful ... Lakshmi and her mother / AFP
Nervous wait ... Lakshmi sits in her mother's lap, with her father and brother, Mithilesh, at the Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore / AP
Medical help ... Lakshmi's condition occurs only once in over 50,000 births / AFP
Medical condition ... Duangjai Samaksamarn has the world's biggest hands / AP
Heavy ... her oversized hands and arms are caused by an imbalance in hormones / AP
Indian 'goddess' ... baby Lali was born with two faces but her parents say she is eating and breathing normally. Many locals in the deeply religious country consider her a deity / AFP
I wanted to ask a question, but after looking at these pictures I've got no comments.
GRAPHIC: Massive tumour removed from girl's face -
1st May 2008
