Doctors have successfully operated on a seven-month-old boy whose family were shunned after he was diagnosed with what is thought to be the world's largest head.
Little Mrityunjay's neighbours dubbed him 'ghost baby' and 'giant head' after his skull swelled to a staggering 96cm.
But doctors have now removed 3.7 liters of fluid from Mrityunjay Das and managed to reduce the size of his head to 70cm in the last month and a half.
Dr Dilip Parida, superintendent of the AIIMS hospital at Bhuwaneshwar, said: "The child was admitted on November 20 with the head containing almost 5.5 liters of fluid.
"We have removed 3.7 liters of fluid so far by external ventricular drainage.
"Now, the circumference of the head has come down from 96cm to 70cm. The cognitive functions of the child have improved a lot, he is stable and has responded well to the treatment."
Surgeons are now expected to carry our cranoplasty in order to reshape the skull of the boy, who is from Ranpur in Nayagarh district, India.
Mrityunjay could not be moved from his bed previously but can now be carried around.
Medical records claim Roona Begum, a Tripura-born girl, had the world's largest head after it swelled to 94cm due to the same medical condition, hydrocephalus, in 2011.
Dr Parida added: "We are checking medical records across the globe to verify if an hydrocephalus existed of an even bigger size."
Mrityunjay's parents' Kamalesh Das and Kavita said their family had been shunned by neighbours since the boy's birth.
Kamalesh, 35, who works in Kolkata, said: "People would call our baby a "ghost" because of his unusual appearance.
"As his head reduces to a normal size, the attitude of our neighbours and villagers will change.
"They will stop calling him derogatory names like "barka matha" (giant head) or "ghost baby".
"Now, I am sure that he will be able to lead a normal life. It wouldn't have been possible without the help of the doctors."
The treatment, which would usually have cost about £6,000, was provided free of charge thanks to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India's premiere hospital where the state provides free treatment to patients.
