Mater surgeons have successfully transformed the skull shape of a 12-month-old Queensland baby born with a congenital abnormality which deformed his skull.
Although little Emrys Beckman is too young to comprehend the gruelling three-hour surgery he underwent at Mater Private Children's Brisbane, he has a "battle scar" across his scalp to prove it.
Mater neurosurgeon Dr Robert Campbell and plastic surgeon Dr Richard Theile said Emrys was born with craniosynostosis, meaning the bones in his head were fused together, leaving no space for his brain to grow and giving his head a misshapen appearance.
Dr Campbell said most babies who receive timely craniosynostosis treatment live a healthy life.
"Early treatment can minimise developmental problems due to pressure on the brain," Dr Campbell explained.
This year marks the 50th anniversary since the first craniofacial surgery was done at Mater by now retired Professor Leigh Atkinson, said Dr Campbell.
For 25 years Dr Campbell and Dr Theile have together treated around five patients at Mater each year with craniosynostosis, which is often caused by a genetic mutation.
"For Emrys, this was a one-stop solution. By the time he gets to primary school no one will know what he looked like prior to surgery," he said.
"It's a big surgery where Emrys' scalp was opened from ear-to-ear, his forehead was peeled up and we took every bit of bone out from his eyebrows down and reshaped them to a normal size and shape."
Parents Dr Tim Beckman and wife Chelsea, from Hendra, noticed the abnormal shape of their son's head soon after he was born.
They said a CT scan when Emrys was just eight weeks old confirmed he had craniosynostosis, a condition that affects around one in 2000 babies.
"At birth his head was quite elongated and had a ridge on the top," Mrs Beckman explained.
"We noticed the shape of his head was changing and while we knew without surgery he would lead a normal life.
"When Emrys was around four months old strangers started asking what was going on with his head and if something was wrong."
Dr Beckman, an ophthalmologist specialising in ocular oncology, oculoplastic and ophthalmic surgery at Mater Hospital Brisbane and Mater Private Hospital Redland said he was grateful to have colleagues and friends who had experience managing craniosynostosis patients.
"I was able to talk to other colleagues about their experience with children who had the same type of craniosynostosis Emrys had," Dr Beckman said.
"It was a big year for us – it was an evolution of emotions and we are happy Emrys has had a great outcome.
"Chelsea and I put trust into our surgeons and I think that was really important."
Dr Beckman said the condition was picked up early and thanked Dr Theile, Dr Campbell and their medical teams for their professionalism.
"We have been so grateful for the relationship that Dr Theile and Dr Campbell have generated over such a long period of time, you can see how important that has been in the care of so many kids," he said.
"The communication between them, amongst their team and then to us as parents provided us with clarity of the plan, and confidence in the expected outcome.
"We feel Emrys has been lucky and can lead a normal life."
Dr Beckman said since Emrys' surgery, he had no evidence of developmental delays and he had recovered well.
"He is crawling around after his three-year-old brother Harry, which is absolutely beautiful to watch," he said.
"Harry was so gently and caring when Emrys came home from hospital and their relationship has just blossomed."
Mrs Beckman said when her son came out of surgery his eyes remained closed for a few days due to swelling, but when his bandages were taken off he started to smile.
"When I saw his smile, I knew he was back and he was good," she said.
"In fact, that was the first time I saw how much Emrys looked like Harry when he was younger."
