Jolie Rouge
04-28-2003, 02:15 PM
Separated Guatemalan Twin Critically Ill
Maria Teresa Quiej Alvarez, one of the conjoined Guatemalan twins who was separated from her sister last August in landmark surgery at the medical center at UCLA, is suffering from cerebral meningitis. CNN reports that the 20-month-old girl underwent surgery two weeks ago at a Guatemala City hospital where she remains in critical condition. Cerebral meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain. "The case is grave," Dr. Ludwig Ovalle, Maria Teresa's pediatrician at Hospital del Pilar, told CNN. "We had to replace one of the pumps in her brain because it was infected."
Conjoined at the skull, Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus became known as "The Little Marias. They were separated last August in an operation that took 23 hours. Maria Teresa did seem to suffer more than her sister from the separation, requiring three additional surgeries to remove a buildup of blood in her brain. CNN reports that she also suffered hearing loss in one ear and wears a hearing aid.
Doctors at UCLA, who remain in contact with the girls' doctors in Guatemala, said Maria Teresa probably contracted cerebral meningitis from E. coli in a pump that was inserted into her skull last August to prevent the buildup of fluid. That pump has now been removed and replaced by a second one. "All the doctors and nurses and caregivers that cared for the twins here are praying and hopeful for a recovery," said Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster of UCLA health sciences. "Everyone got very, very close to the little girls when they were treated here. We got very attached to her and are hoping for her speedy recovery," she said.
See a photograph of Maria Teresa. http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/photosearch.jsp?cap=Maria+Teresa+Quiej+Alvarez&x=0&y=0&searchType=photos&floc=ns-wnew
Maria Teresa Quiej Alvarez, one of the conjoined Guatemalan twins who was separated from her sister last August in landmark surgery at the medical center at UCLA, is suffering from cerebral meningitis. CNN reports that the 20-month-old girl underwent surgery two weeks ago at a Guatemala City hospital where she remains in critical condition. Cerebral meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain. "The case is grave," Dr. Ludwig Ovalle, Maria Teresa's pediatrician at Hospital del Pilar, told CNN. "We had to replace one of the pumps in her brain because it was infected."
Conjoined at the skull, Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus became known as "The Little Marias. They were separated last August in an operation that took 23 hours. Maria Teresa did seem to suffer more than her sister from the separation, requiring three additional surgeries to remove a buildup of blood in her brain. CNN reports that she also suffered hearing loss in one ear and wears a hearing aid.
Doctors at UCLA, who remain in contact with the girls' doctors in Guatemala, said Maria Teresa probably contracted cerebral meningitis from E. coli in a pump that was inserted into her skull last August to prevent the buildup of fluid. That pump has now been removed and replaced by a second one. "All the doctors and nurses and caregivers that cared for the twins here are praying and hopeful for a recovery," said Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster of UCLA health sciences. "Everyone got very, very close to the little girls when they were treated here. We got very attached to her and are hoping for her speedy recovery," she said.
See a photograph of Maria Teresa. http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/photosearch.jsp?cap=Maria+Teresa+Quiej+Alvarez&x=0&y=0&searchType=photos&floc=ns-wnew