Man's dented head reshaped using his own body fat - A man who was left with a large dent in his head after a fall has had his face rebuilt through pioneering surgery using his own body fat.
In the first procedure of its kind in Britain, Tim Barter, 32, had his forehead reshaped using fat from his stomach and titanium plates.
Tim Barter before the surgery and an X-ray of the damaged skull
The visual effects supervisor, who worked on the BBC’s Dr Who television series, shattered his skull, cheekbone and eye socket after he fell 25ft from a drainpipe and hit his head on a brick wall.
The accident, which happened as he tried climb into his house after locking himself out, left him in a coma for 10 days.
Doctors had to remove part of his skull on the right side of his head to relieve swelling and bleeding on his brain.
However, he has now made a full recovery after pioneering treatment by Robert Bentley, a cranio-oral and maxillofacial surgeon from London’s King’s College Hospital.
Mr Barter, of Brixton, south London, said has even taken up rock climbing, kayaking, fencing and skydiving since the surgery.
He said: “Life stopped for a number of months. I couldn't work and I had double vision. I was frightened that my eyesight would never go back to normal and that I would have to give up my job for good.
"I'm making the most of everything now where I didn't before."
Mr Barter was found unconscious outside his home by neighbours after the fall in June 2009 in which he also broke a leg.
Following initial treatment at King’s College Hospital, doctors used computer technology to design titanium plates to repair Mr Barter's skull, which were inserted through his cheek to minimise scarring.
They then injected fat from his stomach into his forehead to complete the reshaping process.
Mr Bentley said: "Patients having sustained such injuries as Tim's highlight the fully integrated approach that we have as a major trauma centre.
"This ensures that our patients receive the best treatment in the most appropriate settings and by the most appropriate individuals." ( telegraph.co.uk )
In the first procedure of its kind in Britain, Tim Barter, 32, had his forehead reshaped using fat from his stomach and titanium plates.
Tim Barter before the surgery and an X-ray of the damaged skull
The visual effects supervisor, who worked on the BBC’s Dr Who television series, shattered his skull, cheekbone and eye socket after he fell 25ft from a drainpipe and hit his head on a brick wall.
The accident, which happened as he tried climb into his house after locking himself out, left him in a coma for 10 days.
Doctors had to remove part of his skull on the right side of his head to relieve swelling and bleeding on his brain.
However, he has now made a full recovery after pioneering treatment by Robert Bentley, a cranio-oral and maxillofacial surgeon from London’s King’s College Hospital.
Mr Barter, of Brixton, south London, said has even taken up rock climbing, kayaking, fencing and skydiving since the surgery.
He said: “Life stopped for a number of months. I couldn't work and I had double vision. I was frightened that my eyesight would never go back to normal and that I would have to give up my job for good.
"I'm making the most of everything now where I didn't before."
Mr Barter was found unconscious outside his home by neighbours after the fall in June 2009 in which he also broke a leg.
Following initial treatment at King’s College Hospital, doctors used computer technology to design titanium plates to repair Mr Barter's skull, which were inserted through his cheek to minimise scarring.
They then injected fat from his stomach into his forehead to complete the reshaping process.
Mr Bentley said: "Patients having sustained such injuries as Tim's highlight the fully integrated approach that we have as a major trauma centre.
"This ensures that our patients receive the best treatment in the most appropriate settings and by the most appropriate individuals." ( telegraph.co.uk )
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