Pioneering surgery repairs girl's spine with leg bone

Rosie Davies had a 10cm gap in her spine bridged with
bone from her legs

A five-year old girl has had pioneering surgery to repair a large gap in her spine using bone taken from her legs.

Before the operation, Rosie Davies, from Walsall in the West Midlands, was "basically a timebomb", her family said.

Missing bones in her spine meant her upper body weight was unsupported and her inner organs were being crushed.

The lifesaving surgery came at the cost of her lower legs, which she had always been unable to move.

Rosie was born with a very rare disorder called spinal segmental dysgenesis. Five bones which made up part of her spine were missing, leaving a 10cm gap in her backbone. Her legs were also contorted up against her belly and she had very little feeling in them.

She was slowly running out of space in her chest - and running out of time. Eventually the internal crush would have led to Rosie's organs failing, which would have killed her.

In her last scan before the operation there was evidence of her kidneys being crushed.

Rosie's legs were amputated from the knee down and a section of bone was taken to bridge the gap in her spine.

Two metal rods were then bolted to the upper spine and the hips to provide extra support.

Rosie was born missing five bones in her lower spine, meaning
her internal organs were becoming crushed by her upper body

- BBC.co.uk