THE parents of a two-year-old girl thought to be the youngest person in the world to undergo ‘deep brain’ surgery are facing an anxious time after the little girl’s condition deteriorated while recovering in a Glasgow hospital.

Viktoria Kaftanikaite travelled to London in May to undergo a life-saving procedure known as Deep Brain Simulation (DBS) to treat uncontrolled muscular spasms caused by the incurable condition dystonia, which left her “screaming” in agony.

Doctors at the Evelina Hospital decided to perform surgery because the little girl’s spasms were so severe they were affecting her ability to eat and breathe. It is normally only carried out on older children and adults but without it, Viktoria, who is two years and eight months, could have died.

Glasgow Times:

She was transferred to Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children on June 14 and is now under the expert care of paediatric neurology experts with her Polish-born family keeping a constant bedside vigil.

While the little girl’s operation is thought to have been successful, Viktoria is currently being treated for a possible infection in the hospital.

Mum Patrycja Majewska, 26, who is originally from Poland, but now lives in Pollok, said: “It’s not very good.

“She was okay but now she is getting worse again. It’s up and down all the time.

“They are giving her antibiotics just in case she has an infection.

READ MORE: Glasgow girl, 2, becomes youngest ever in world to get 'deep-brain' surgery

“She is awake. They don’t know 100 per cent that she has an infection but they are giving her antibiotics just in case.

“She came back on June 14. It’s not normal for this type of surgery. They have to find a balance between the medication so it’s hard because she’s a wee one.

“I try to be there every day for two hours but we have another daughter and we’ve just moved house so I’m having to go myself.

“We don’t know how long she will be in hospital.

“They say they are happy with the operation but we will see.”

Dystonia is the term used to describe uncontrollable and sometimes painful muscle spasms caused by incorrect signals from the brain.

It is estimated to affect around 90,000 people in the UK and in the most severe forms has a 10 per cent mortality rate.

The DBS procedure involves putting a small amount of electricity into the brain through tiny electrodes. The electrodes are attached to a battery. The brain is not surgically opened; instead, a tiny hole is made in the skull.

Glasgow Times:

Patrycja, who lives with her partner Martinas, 35, and has another six-year-old daughter Dominyka, says it took two-and-a-half years before the condition was diagnosed and hopes the surgery will give her daughter a better quality of life.

She says doctors in Glasgow recommended waiting for the surgery until Viktoria turned three but doctors in London were keen to help the little girl ahead of that time.

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Viktoria completed a first aid course yesterday so she knows how to provide emergency care for her daughter in the future.

She said: “They hope that the DBS is going to help the movements she has.

"She cannot play, she cannot talk, she cannot eat, she cannot sit. She can’t do anything by herself. She completely depends on others.

“The doctor in London said he was going to take all the risks himself because he wanted to help her and said two-and-a-half years was enough.

“We are just taking it day by day.”

The family have set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for Viktoria’s rehabilitation including physiotherapy costs.