A 12-year-old boy from Jerusalem, Israel is recovering after surgeons reattached his head following a bike accident that left him internally decapitated.
Hadassah International Instagram
“Due to the serious injury the head almost completely disconnected from the base of the neck," said Dr. Ohad Einav, a specialist orthopedist who performed the surgery on Hassan, in the statement.
Hadassah Hospital, Israel.Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images
Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images
Dr. Ziv Asa — another surgeon involved in the operation — said that there is typically a “50% chance of survival” for a case like Hassan’s. “Despite the serious injury — the surgery went very successfully, and Suliman was released to his home with a neck fixed and under close supervision of the hospital staff,” the statement continued.
Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD), is also known as orthopedic decapitation or internal decapitation and occurs when ligaments and/or bony structures connecting the skull to the spine are damaged, according to apaper published in the World Journal of Orthopedics. It is a common cervical spine injury in motor vehicle accident deaths.
“We fought for the boy’s life,” Einav toldThe Times of Israel. “The procedure itself is very complicated and took several hours. While in the operating room, we used new plates and fixations in the damaged area… Our ability to save the child was thanks to our knowledge and the most innovative technology in the operating room.”
“The injury is extremely rare,” he added, “but we do know that because children between ages four and 10 have heads that are large in relation to their bodies, they are more susceptible than adults.”
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The surgery was carried out in June, but the doctors waited a month to reveal the outcome,Fox Newsreported. Hassan was recently sent home from the hospital with a neck brace and will remain under medical supervision, according to the outlet.
“The fact that such a child has no neurological deficits or sensory or motor dysfunction and that he is functioning normally and walking without an aid after such a long process is no small thing,” Einav said, according to the outlet.
Hassan’s father did not leave his son’s bedside during his recovery, the medical staff said, perThe Times of Israel.
source: people.com
