Abu Dhabi: Moamin and Moneb were identical twins when they were born six years ago, but they started looking vastly different as they grew up.
Little Moneb was seven kilograms lighter, and more than a head shorter, and his worried parents from Sudan felt that there was something more to this physical difference.
Fortunately, this concern led doctors to discover a congenital heart valve defect in Moneb, and the little boy successfully underwent corrective surgery last month at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi.
“Such congenital heart anomalies occur in one in every 2,000 births, but what set this case apart was how it clearly affected Moneb’s growth, especially as he had an identical twin whose development was starkly different,” Dr Walid Shaker, consultant for cardiothoracic surgery and head of cardiac surgery at the hospital, told Gulf News.
According to the doctor, Moneb’s growth had been retarded because one of his heart chambers, the left ventricle, had an obstruction in the form of an extra membrane. This membrane had been located near the valves that allow blood flow to the aorta, the main vessel which supplies oxygenated blood to the entire body. As a result, Moneb’s cells had been receiving less oxygen to metabolise essential nutrients for his growth.
“In the long run, without corrective surgery, Moneb’s growth would have remained stunted. Because the heart also had to pump harder to deliver blood, its muscles would also have become damaged, leading to a condition known as heart failure, and his organs would have suffered without sufficient amounts of oxygenated blood,” Dr Shaker explained.
The procedure took four hours, and Moneb remained in hospital for about five days afterwards. Now, within three weeks of the surgery, the little boy has already gained three kilograms in weight.
Mutawkil Ahmed, the boys’ father, said Moneb’s recovery had been an Eid Al Fitr gift for him and his wife.
“We used to see that Moneb’s movement was far less adept than his brother’s. The differences in weight and stature were also very noticeable, and were scared when it was diagnosed that he had a defect in his heart,” said Ahmed, a 50-year-old driver who lives in Sharjah with his family.
“Now that our son is doing well, we couldn’t have asked for a better Eid present, and we want to express our deep gratitude to the Sharjah Government, which supported the treatment of our son, and Burjeel Hospital,” he added.
