British surgeons reconstruct a child's skull

Doctors reassembled a British boy's skull like a Basel board after an operation to prevent his brain from shattering.

Daniel Bradley, from Derbyshire, developed craniosynostosis when he was 3 months old, in a rare condition thought to affect only one baby in 2,500 when the joints in the skull fuse together early, meaning there is not enough room for the brain to develop.

Left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain as it expands, leading to head deformities, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death.

Surgeons had to dismantle his skull and reconstruct it piece by piece, in an operation that took 9 hours.

The boy recovered completely after the surgery, which left a giant jagged scar on his head.

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