A two-year-old girl with a 28-inch (72cm) head has been given a new lease of life following pioneering surgery to reduce its size.

Maryam, whose family name is unknown, was born with hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid inside her skull, which can prove 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗅𝗒.

The girl, who also suffers from megalencephaly – a rare defect where the brain is abnormally large, was unable to turn her head without help because of its size.

However now, after her parents in Tajikistan journeyed 730 miles (1,175km) to India, Maryam’s head has reduced in size to 26 inches (65cm).

Surgeons on the outskirts of New Delhi revealed they were unable to drain her head of any more fluid because her bones had already fused.

Medics at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon initially turned down the request to operate on Maryam because of the high risks.

They eventually accepted the appeal from her parents – and she has since had eight four-hour operations to drain 500ml of fluid each day.

Maryam almost died at one point, doctors revealed, but she fought back to survive the gruelling operation.

Maryam’s parents travelled to India after they heard about a girl in a remote village in the country, who also had an extreme case of hydrocephalus.

Dr Sandeep Vaishya, executive director of neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, explained the dangers of the procedure.

He said: ‘This is a very challenging job in children, as multiple corrective surgeries have to be done to reduce the size of the head.

‘If surgery is done immediately, it reduces the risks and normalcy can be restored. In some cases where it is delayed, the child diᩚєs.

‘But in some rare cases, the size of the brain increases and the child survives.

‘The head is the heaviest part of the body, and if the head becomes too big and heavy, a small child will not be able to develop enough muscles to hold the head.’

He added they were ‘reluctant to perform the surgery’ as chances of improvement are ‘extremely low’ and the risk factors are ‘extremely high’.

Dr Vaishya said: ‘We managed to reduce the size of the head, but the surgery proved to be extremely challenging. At one point, we almost lost her, but she fought back.

‘Her last CT scan showed good brain development and she has started to lift her head.

‘While there are chances of brain damage, it is her best chance to live a nearly normal life.’