Boy's skull put back together 'like a jigsaw' after life-saving op to stop his brain being crushed
- 11 months ago
A two-year-old boy's skull was broken apart and put back together “like a jigsaw” after an operation to stop his brain being crushed.
Beau Harrison was diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was just 18 months old.
The rare condition, affecting one in 2,500 babies, is caused when joints in the skull fuse together too early, meaning there is not enough room for the brain to grow.
If left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain, leading to an unusually-shaped head, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death.
During Beau's painstaking 11-hour operation this year, surgeons at Sheffield Children's Hospital dismantled and rebuilt his skull piece-by-piece.
The procedure created a gap in his skull to allow his brain to grow properly.
The toddler is expected to make a full recovery following the surgery, which has left him with a giant zig-zag scar across his head.
Doctors first realised something was wrong just days after Beau was born and treated him for hydrocephalus, or excess fluid on the brain.
Surgeons inserted a shunt into his head when he was days old.
Mum Shannon Wong, 27, of Cleethorpes, Lincs., said: “There are no words to describe how I felt, but after a two-and-a-half week stay in the hospital and multiple infections, he was discharged.
“I thought everything would get better after that, but within a week we were back being told he had fluid on his brain.
“He was initially diagnosed with hydrocephalus, so they had to perform emergency surgery to insert a shunt.”
Beau’s health deteriorated and he started suffering from seizures so underwent more tests which revealed the real cause of his symptoms.
Beau Harrison was diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was just 18 months old.
The rare condition, affecting one in 2,500 babies, is caused when joints in the skull fuse together too early, meaning there is not enough room for the brain to grow.
If left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain, leading to an unusually-shaped head, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death.
During Beau's painstaking 11-hour operation this year, surgeons at Sheffield Children's Hospital dismantled and rebuilt his skull piece-by-piece.
The procedure created a gap in his skull to allow his brain to grow properly.
The toddler is expected to make a full recovery following the surgery, which has left him with a giant zig-zag scar across his head.
Doctors first realised something was wrong just days after Beau was born and treated him for hydrocephalus, or excess fluid on the brain.
Surgeons inserted a shunt into his head when he was days old.
Mum Shannon Wong, 27, of Cleethorpes, Lincs., said: “There are no words to describe how I felt, but after a two-and-a-half week stay in the hospital and multiple infections, he was discharged.
“I thought everything would get better after that, but within a week we were back being told he had fluid on his brain.
“He was initially diagnosed with hydrocephalus, so they had to perform emergency surgery to insert a shunt.”
Beau’s health deteriorated and he started suffering from seizures so underwent more tests which revealed the real cause of his symptoms.