'Super Glue' Plugs Holes in Toddler's Brain

Doctors saved the life of a British toddler by using medical super glue to plug tiny holes in her brain, London’s Daily Mail reported.

Ella-Grace Honeyman, 17 months, has vein of Galen malformation, which results in abnormal communications between the arteries and the veins in the blood vessels, according to veinofgalen.co.uk, a Web site promoting awareness of the disease.

The vein of Galen malformations lack capillaries, so the blood flows too quickly through the holes, which causes an aneurysm, the Web site said.

Patients can end up with congestive heart failure, be developmentally delayed and have hydrocephalus or seizures.

Surgeons at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York inserted a hollow tube containing the super glue through Ella-Grace’s groin, letting it reach her brain.

Then, they fired bursts of the glue through the tube and into the artery holes, subsequently “plugging” them.

The procedure, which took place on Nov. 9, allowed the fluid in her skull to drain, thus, removing the aneurysm.

Ella-Grace has since returned to her home in Horsford, near Norwich in Norfolk, England.

Doctors told Ella-Grace’s parents she still needs more operations, but she should be able to live a long and healthy life.

“The operation was a success and worth every penny,” Ella-Grace’s mother Laura told the newspaper. “She’s now doing what all kids her age should be doing – bouncing around, playing and having a good time.”

Click here to to see pictures of Ella-Grace and read more on this story from the Daily Mail.