Facebook Message Helps Diagnose Newborn’s Condition

A six-month-old from the UK has been diagnosed with a rare brain condition that could have killed him if not properly treated. However, interestingly enough, his diagnosis was not spurred by a medical expert, but rather from a comment on a Facebook post.

The Liverpool Echo recently reported on George Dent, who was born with an abnormally shaped head that gave his parents initial cause for concern. Despite their worries that the head shape may be the sign of a serious medical condition, doctors told them that everything was fine.

Still worried that something may be wrong, George’s mother’s fears were confirmed when she received a comment on her Facebook profile picture – which showed George – from a woman who suggested that he may have Trigonocephaly.

Trigonocephaly is a congenital condition that causes the skull plates in a newborn to fuse together too early and create a triangular shape. It can lead to speech and behavioral problems and, If not treated within a year, can be deadly.

After contacting a specialist to George for the condition, he was correctly diagnosed with it immediately.

“When he was diagnosed I was absolutely devastated, not only with the diagnosis but he will need a major operation at one year which will leave him with a scar from ear to ear which he will have for life,” George’s mother, Charlotte, told the Echo. “And if it hadn’t been noticed by this woman I dread to think what he would have gone through and what his life would have been like.”

Trigonocephaly is often noticeable soon after birth, and complications during birth has been listed as a potential cause of the condition. If you or a loved one have a child who has suffered a birth injury that can be traced to medical error, call Sokolove Law today to learn more about pursuing a birth injury lawsuit. Call us today at (800)-561-7154.

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