Surgeons reconstruct girl’s skull after her head swells to dangerous size

CTV National News: A life changed Genevieve Beauchemin reports on a girl from North Africa who came to Canada in order to have access to life-saving surgery.

Surgeons at a Canadian hospital have used cutting edge technology to completely reconstruct a two-year-old’s skull after her head swelled to the size of a basketball due to an abnormal brain condition.

The girl, who is not being named to protect the family’s privacy, is unable to sit up due to the volume and weight of her head. The severe swelling is caused by an extreme form of hydrocephalus, where build-up of cerebrospinal fluid puts increased pressure on the brain.

During a 12-hour operation at Montreal’s Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, surgeons successfully reconstructed the child’s abnormally large skull, numbering the parts of the cranium and putting them back together like a puzzle.

Her team was led by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Alexander Weil and Dr. Daniel Borsuk, the head of plastic surgery at CHU Sainte-Justine.

“We offered her something that yes had a risk, but hopefully will give her a chance at a more normal and better life,” Weil told CTV News.

“It’s like a huge water balloon in the centre of her brain. It was literally anchoring her down like a bowling ball, anchoring her wherever she lay.”

In 2017, the girl was taken to a Montreal emergency room as a nine-month-old baby after her North African family emigrated to Canada due to limited access to healthcare there.

Hydrocephalus is usually caught early in Canada, but because the girl’s condition was left untreated for so long, her head grew larger, which resulted in further pressure and damage to her brain.

During a difficult part of the complex surgery, the girl’s brain was fully exposed and surgeons found her cranium contained three litres of cerebrospinal fluid – the normal amount is 150 millilitres.

She underwent two successful procedures, which drained some of the fluid.

With the help of three-dimensional modelling and 3D printing, the team modelled the cranial box of the girl. The complicated surgery was plotted out and rehearsed during a virtual procedure.

Following the operation, the girl is now more interactive, vibrant and social, Weil said.

“The surgery was to improve her function and give her a chance to sit and walk,” nurse Stephanie Santos said.

Although her head is still misshapen, it is much lighter and smaller than the 70-centimetre circumference it was before the surgery.

The surgical team and her family hope she can one day enjoy a more normal life.