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4th Surgery For Teen Who Had Large Facial Growth

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Oct 6, 2006 12:02 pm US/Eastern

4th Surgery For Teen Who Had Large Facial Growth

MIAMI (CBS4/AP) ― A Haitian teen whose facial features were once grossly distorted by a massive growth was recovering Friday from her fourth reconstructive surgery.

Marlie Casseus, 15, was in critical but stable condition at Holtz Children's Hospital, officials said.

During the nearly six-hour surgery Thursday, doctors replaced a titanium plate previously implanted in her jaw. Once she recovers, she will learn to swallow and speak again, motions she was unable to make after a 16-pound tumor like growth engulfed her face.

Dr. Jesus Gomez, a maxillofacial surgeon at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has said the surgery will be Marlie's last for now though may need more cosmetic surgeries when she stops growing.

Surgeons removed the massive growth, narrowed the separation between her eyes and lips and rebuilt the interior of her nose and jaw in three surgeries in the past year.

Marlie suffers from a rare form of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, a nonhereditary, genetic disease that causes bone to swell and become jelly like. The mass once stretched Marlie's facial features so far apart that only her eyes, nostrils and a single tooth were recognizable. Doctors have said the lesion is not expected to grow back once she completes puberty.

The hospital's International Kids Fund, which seeks to provide medical care for needy children from around the world, is asking for donations to continue Marlie's care. The Haitian nonprofit Good Samaritan for a Better Life helped bring the teen to the United States.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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