A young 12 year old boy was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. What happened after that is a rare surgery that saved his life. He was airlifted to Hadassah Medical Center in Israel where surgeons reattached the 12-year-old boy’s head to his neck.
The ligaments holding the posterior base of his skull were severely damaged, leaving it detached from the top vertebrae of his spine. The condition, bilateral atlanto-occipital joint dislocation, is commonly known as internal or orthopedic decapitation. The injury is very rare in adults, and even more so in children.
The child was discharged and sent home with a cervical splint and will continue to be carefully monitored by the Hadassah Medical Center staff.
Dr. Ohad Einav is an orthopedic specialist who operated on the patient together with Dr. Ziv Asa. It required a large operating room and intensive care team. At this time, the child has no neurological deficits or sensory or motor dysfunction. He is functioning normally and walking without aid according to Dr. Einav. The surgery occurred in June; however, the results were not immediately announced.
Amazing