Ceremonial gigantism: – Very rare

Ceremonial gigantism: – Very rare

A twelve-year-old girl showed up last fall in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In a peer-reviewed medical journal Cureus Journal of Medical Sciences Doctors write that the girl wore a shoe only on her left foot.

The reason was that two of the toes on her right foot were huge.

incident: A man entered the racetrack as the horses started galloping. Video: RacingTV, Skingen/Dagblade TV sporten
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I grew and grew

The girl’s parents said that her toes had grown and grown, and that she could no longer wear shoes.

They said that this naturally led to problems moving abroad.

- It can seem as if the Easterners are far away

– It can seem as if the Easterners are far away


Doctors at the hospital, Tuanku Muhrez UKM, found that the girl was born with Sotos Syndrome, which is also called cerebral gigantism.

This condition causes, among other things, the body to grow abnormally quickly, whether in fetal life or in childhood.

Doctors said that the child had not been followed up by health workers since her birth.

X-ray: This is what a girl's foot looks like on an X-ray.  Image: Curious Magazine of Medical Sciences

X-ray: This is what a girl’s foot looks like on an X-ray. Image: Curious Magazine of Medical Sciences
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He had surgery

Further investigations showed that the girl suffers from cerebral macrosomia of the lipodystrophy (MDL) type.

– This is an unusual type of congenital gigantism. Doctors explained in the magazine that the surgery is usually performed for cosmetic reasons.

Operation: The girl can now wear shoes again.  Image: Curious Magazine of Medical Sciences

Operation: The girl can now wear shoes again. Image: Curious Magazine of Medical Sciences
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successful

Doctors decided to operate on the girl.

– In order to increase foot function and reduce shoeing problems, the medical team performed a successful foot reconstruction, they write.

They ended by saying that the girl could now wear shoes on both feet again and move around as usual.

By Bond Robertson

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