Miracle surgery | Doctors in Israel join back boy's head detached in an accident

A complicated and unusual surgery, which has been dubbed as a "miracle", was carried out by doctors on a 12-year-boy during which they reattached his head back to his neck after he got involved in an accident with a car while riding a bicycle, reported The Times of Israel.

The boy, named Suleiman Hassan, went through an "internal decapitation" due to which his skull was detached from the top vertebrae of his spine after the accident, according to the news outlet. Scientifically, the condition is called 'bilateral atlanto occipital joint dislocation'.

After the boy met with the accident, he was airlifted to Hadassah Medical Centre where he went for emergency surgery immediately. According to the doctors, his head was "almost completely detached from the base of his neck".

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Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ohad Einav, who oversaw the treatment, speaking to The Times of Israel said that the surgery took several hours and that it was important to carry out the placement of "new plates and fixations in the damaged area”.

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Rare surgery, slim survival chances

"Our ability to save the child was thanks to our knowledge and the most innovative technology in the operating room," he stated, adding that the doctor's team "fought for the boy's life". The surgeons also accepted that the recovery of the boy was no less than a miracle as there wereonly50 per cent chances of his survival.

The operation happened last month, however, the results were not made public by the doctors till July. Recently, the hospital discharged Hassan with a cervical splint and the hospital stated that his recovery will still be monitored by the doctors.

"The fact that such a child has no neurological deficits or sensory or motor dysfunction and that he is functioning normally and walking without any aid after such a long process is no small thing," said Dr Einav.

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"This is not a common surgery at all, and especially not on children and teens. A surgeon needs knowledge and experience to do this," he added.

The father of the boy remained with his son all the time and thanked the doctors for saving the life of "his only son". "Thanks to you, he regained his life even when the odds were low and the danger was obvious. What saved him were professionalism, technology and quick decision-making by the trauma and orthopaedics team. All I can say is a big thank you," he said, while speaking to the medical staff, according to the outlet.

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