Skip to Content

Looking for the best info on potty training your toddler? Click here.

Ping-pong ball saves girl's life

Categories: Toddlers, Medical conditions, Weird but true

Ping-pong ball and paddleI'm a big fan of finding new uses for things, and this is a great example. A two-year-old Australian girl, born with biliary artresia, was undergoing surgery to receive a liver transplant when Dr. Albert Shun found a problem. It seems that the adult-size liver was too big and was putting pressure on the girl's blood vessels -- a potentially deadly situation.

Dr. Shun came up with a creative way to solve the problem. "I rang my wife and asked her to go to Big W and buy me some ping-pong balls," he said. The doctor used the ping-pong ball to keep the liver off the arteries and relieve the pressure. "There shouldn't be any complications. We are in a unique situation in Australia because we have a low donor rate so we have to be adaptable," he said.

The young girl is now up and running about like a normal two-year-old. "She is so normal now. She is a happy kid," said the girl's mother. Sounds like a good use of a ping-pong ball to me.

Amazing and bizarre X-rays(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Conjoined twinsOuch!A unique surgical challengeShocking but trueAmazing surgery

Recent Posts

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ParentDish Polls

    Hollywood's Hottest Dad
    51% of you voted Hugh Jackman the Hottest Dad in Hollywood by a landslide. Wolverine edged out Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp -- and we can see why.

    Jewel Samad/Getty Images

    Best Stepdad
    How cool would it be to have Ashton Kutcher as your stepdad? Pretty cool, according to 52% of you. After all, you wouldn't have to teach him how to send a text message or use Twitter! Kutcher is pictured here in 2007 with stepdaughters Rumer and Tallulah Willis.

    Evan Agostini/Getty Images

    Who cares about IQ?
    Not ParentDish readers! 80% of you said that this 24-year-old UK mom should be allowed to keep her baby--even after social workers said she was "too stupid" to take care of her.

    Jenny Goodall, Daily Mail / ZUMA Press

    Enough With the Gosselins!
    Will you buy Kate Gosselin's cookbook? 64% of you say no -- and you're also tired of hearing about her.

    David Livingston, Getty Images

    Best Babysitters
    31% of you said that you would leave your kids with Ellen and Portia, while only 9% would trust Oprah to babysit. Interesting, since none of the celebs are parents.

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    Fav Celeb Mom
    Jennifer Garner is your favorite celebrity mom, beating out Angelina Jolie and First Lady Michelle Obama with 37% of the vote.

    Kris Connor, Getty Images

    Bad Mommy
    Dina Lohan and Courtney Love tied for worst celebrity mom, each with 32% of your votes. Only 3% of you said that Kate Moss was a bad mom, though, which says a lot -- mostly what a mess Dina Lohan is.

    Michael Buckner, Getty Images

    Unimpressed
    Only 8% of you think Bristol Palin a better parent than baby daddy Levi. [Get the full story]

    Getty

    Octo Overload?
    60% of you are worried about her kids. Maybe because she reportedly once stripped under the name "Angelina?" [Get the full story]

    Getty

    Tough to Swallow
    45% of you said this Burger King ad was "totally inappropriate." What would the King say? [Get the full story]

    YouTube

Features

Recent Comments