Surgeons successfully reattached a boy’s skull to his spine after a bike crash left him internally decapitated in a serious and rare injury known as a bilateral atlanto-occipital dislocation.
It occurs when the ligaments in the spinal column are separated from the base of the skull, and in most cases it is fatal.
But a group of surgeons at Hadassah Medical Centre in Israel managed to save the life of Suleiman Hassan, 12, after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle.
The crash left the Palestinian boy from the West Bank seriously injured and he was airlifted to hospital.
Doctors determined that the ligaments holding the base of his skull had been seriously damaged, leaving it detached from the top vertebrae of the spine.
The condition of bilateral atlanto-occipital joint dislocation is more commonly known as an internal decapitation.
The injury is extremely rare and it is even more rare to survive it, according to Israeli media.
Dr Ohad Einav, an orthopaedic specialist who operated on Suleiman with the help of Dr Ziv Asa said of the surgery, which took place in early June: “We fought for the boy’s life.”
He added: “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.”
Dr Einav said: “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.”
He added: “The injury is extremely rare, 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.”
Israeli media said that a 2021 survey of studies on the injury in children and adolescents found that over half of them did not survive the initial injury, being transported to hospital, or surgery and recovery.
Suleiman’s father, who has not been named, said: “I will thank you all my life for saving my dear only son.
“Bless you all. Thanks to you he regained his life even when the odds were low and the danger was obvious.
“What saved him were professionalism, technology and quick decision-making by the trauma and orthopaedics team.
“All I can say is a big thank you.”
Suleiman was reportedly discharged from hospital recently. He will continue to be monitored by the doctors as he recovers from his ordeal.
