Young Boy's Head Successfully Reattached After Bicycle Accident

A young boy in Israel had his head successfully reattached by doctors after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle. Suleiman Hassan, a twelve-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, suffered from a rare condition known as internal decapitation, where the skull becomes detached from the top of the spine while the skin remains intact.

This type of injury is extremely uncommon and accounts for less than one percent of spinal injuries. The boy's head was nearly severed from his neck, but a skilled intensive care team at Hadassah Ein Kerem’s Trauma Unit in Jerusalem performed a meticulous surgery that lasted several hours.

Suleiman was promptly airlifted to the hospital and underwent the procedure. The outcome of the surgery was not announced until a month later, despite the procedure taking place in early June. Internal decapitation is often fatal, with 70 percent of victims dying instantly or on their way to the hospital.

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Defying Odds of Internal Decapitation

Dr. Ohad Einav, one of the surgeons involved in the operation, expressed their dedication to saving the boy's life. The success of the surgery relies on the preservation of major blood vessels to maintain blood flow to the brain. A study conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia revealed 16 cases of internal decapitation in children over a span of 17 years.

To treat this injury, the skull and spinal column are fused together using rods, screws, plates, and potentially bone grafts. Dr. Marc Siegel, a Clinical Professor of Medicine and internist at NYU Langone Medical Center, praised the remarkable nature of the surgery.

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Doctors Successfully Reattach Young Boy's Head

Dr. Einav had recently completed a fellowship in Toronto, where he gained experience performing the procedure on adults. The surgery itself is highly complex and time-consuming, requiring the use of advanced plates and fixations in the affected area.

The doctors credited their knowledge and access to the innovative technology in the operating room for their ability to save the child. Following the surgery, rehabilitation is necessary for patients to regain neck movement. Suleiman was discharged from the hospital wearing a cervical splint, and his progress will continue to be monitored by medical professionals. Remarkably, he does not experience any neurological deficits, sensory impairments, or motor dysfunction and can walk unassisted.

Suleiman's father, who remained by his son's side throughout the recovery process, expressed his profound gratitude to the medical team for saving his only child's life against the odds.

He credited their professionalism, advanced technology, and quick decision-making for his son's miraculous recovery. Studies have shown that internal decapitation is three times more common in children than in adults, highlighting the significance of this medical achievement.

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Path to Head Transplant

While the idea of a head transplant may seem like science fiction, advancements in surgical techniques, neurology, immunosuppression, and rehabilitation have brought us closer to turning this concept into a reality. The path to head transplant surgery has been marked by years of extensive research, collaboration, and ethical considerations, and with this surgery, head transplant surgery is right on the horizon (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
First Human Head Transplantation: Surgically Challenging, Ethically Controversial and Historically Tempting – an Experimental Endeavor or a Scientific Landmark?

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Reference:

1. First Human Head Transplantation: Surgically Challenging, Ethically Controversial and Historically Tempting – an Experimental Endeavor or a Scientific Landmark? - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6511668/)

Source-Medindia