Finley, a British child a year, still anesthetized and unconscious in an operating room. We have removed the skull, the brain is visible. But her pulse is normal.
the other side of the operating room, the plastic and reconstructive surgeon David Johnson cut with a saw and broken pieces of the skull to rebuild and return to the small place you can completely reset a skull ..
Johnson will end in 30 minutes and will deploy the new structure on the brain of Finley. Subsequently, sew a long incision that runs from ear to ear on his scalp.
One floor up, in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, the child's parents anxiously awaiting news that the surgery and over and your little one is safe.
has been a long wait of 12 months for Diane and Lee Amey.
When Finley was born, the father immediately realized the baby was different.
"His head was a rare, with a sort of like a rhinoceros horn, his hands were bound and her eyes bulged, recalls.
The family was referred to the Oxford Craniofacial Unit, where they were informed that Finley had a rare genetic disease Apert syndrome.
Babies with this disorder have many problems during its growth.
all have plaques attached to natural sutures in the skull, which allow the developing brain thrust plates.
But babies with Apert, these sutures are fused. That was what was distorting the shape of the skull of Finley and made him stand out eyes.
As the brain grows, pressure builds inside the skull and this can be dangerous. Therefore, the unity of Oxford carried out a complex operation to reshape the skull Finley and allow the brain room to grow.
As carpentry
is an extraordinary operation.
"It's like carpentry in the third dimension," explained the surgeon David Johnson.
The family has been advised by a network of specialists.
"Many of the techniques we use are the same, except that the subject raw bone which is working, "adds .
After four or five hours of operation, and Finley ends intervention is taken to the recovery room, where they wait for their parents.
The baby looks different, but now for the first time, you can close your eyes.
Unfortunately, this is not the final surgery that will be submitted.
Babies with born with Apert's fingers and toes fused, so they must be subjected to various operations that may have functional grip.
And although the problems of the skull has now been resolved, Finley's face will not grow normally provided, so that will be operated on in a few years to remove the bones of the face and slide them in on a framework metal for several months.
holistic approach
Oxford Unit has on file more than 1,000 children. Thoroughly evaluated each week to 21 small and holds three complex operations head.
Only 20% of patients have the type of genetic syndrome that requires repeated surgical procedures.
The vast majority of children have a fused suture, often caused by mechanical pressure on the uterus.
Their problems can be solved with a single operation to reshape the skull.
Oxford is one of four centers in the United Kingdom which allows carrying out complex surgery that required children and Finley.
The unit is headed by two plastic surgeons and includes neurosurgeons, psychologists and therapists ophthalmic language and play, to ensure that small will not be delayed too much during the long periods spent in the hospital.
But it was the team's principal geneticist, Professor Andrew Wilkie, who first identified the exact location of tiny genetic error that causes Apert syndrome.
Psychologists are responsible for advising parents on how to deal with the stress of surgery, but also advise them how to handle having a son who looks so different.
"The hardest thing is when people are left watching, "says Lee .
" At first it was extremely difficult for me. But now, I encourage people to come and ask me questions to say what happens. "
" Finley is not distinct from the others, it just looks different, "said Father
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