"Mermaid girl" completes next surgery

Milagros Cerron, a 13-month-old Pervuvian girl called the "Little Mermaid" because of her rare birth defect, has undergone another surgery to correct her disorder. Born with sirenomelia, known as "mermaid syndrome," her legs were joined from her ankles to her abdomen, with her feet splayed out to the sides. During a complicated operation that lasted 4-1/2 hours, doctors separated her legs completely on May 31.

Most children with mermaid syndrome do not survive because of kidney problems or other complications. Milagros is one of only 3 known cases existing in the world. You can see a photo of Milagros at MSNBC.com.