World-first surgery for baby's rare skull condition
A one-year-old boy has become the first patient to receive a new type of surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis using super-elastic nitinol springs. The treatment successfully reshaped his skull, allowing for normal brain development with minimal recovery time.
Why it matters
The use of advanced materials like nitinol in pediatric surgery represents a significant medical innovation for treating rare congenital conditions.
Image source, GOSH/PA Image caption, Rory's mother said: "He's just like every little boy and hitting milestones"
A "happy and cheeky" baby boy with a rare skull condition is doing well a year after becoming the first in the world to be given a new type of treatment.
One-year-old Rory Potter, from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, was diagnosed with severe sagittal craniosynostosis , external - a condition where the skull fuses before birth - shortly after he was born in April last year.
He underwent surgery in September to have "super elastic" springs inserted, which gradually reshaped his skull before being removed.
His mother Jo Potter said: "You wouldn't know what he's been through."
Image source, GOSH/PA Image caption, Rory's mother Jo said "he will have a great story to tell when he's older"
The 36-year-old described him as "happy, cheeky and full of energy".
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