Boy's skull put back together 'like a jigsaw' after life-saving op to stop his brain being crushed

A two-year-old boy's skull was broken apart and put back together “like a jigsaw” after
an operation to stop his brain being crushed.

Beau Harrison was diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was just 18 months old.

The rare condition, affecting one in 2,500 babies, is caused when joints in the skull fuse together too early, meaning there is not enough room for the brain to grow.

If left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain, leading to an unusually-shaped head, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death.

During Beau's painstaking 11-hour operation this year, surgeons at Sheffield Children's Hospital dismantled and rebuilt his skull piece-by-piece.