Surgeons at El Paso Children’s able to perform grueling 12-hour brain surgery locally

Medical experts say one in two thousand children are at risk of developing a deformed skull, a condition often requiring complex surgeries.

Ethan Fernandez and Regina Hernandez were diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a condition in which one or more plates in an infant’s skull fuse prematurely. Both have been through a grueling 12-hour surgery.

Growth plates allow the skull to grow into a proper shape, giving the brain enough space to grow. If the plates fuse early, the brain doesn’t have the room to develop properly because the skull won’t expand, doctors say.

ABC-7 got to meet the team of surgeons at El Paso Children’s Hospital able to perform the complicated surgeries.

Dr. David Yates is division chief of cranial and facial surgery at the hospital. He operated on little Ethan and Regina about three months ago.

“Theses surgeries are life saving,” said Dr. Yates, who added there are severe consequences when the brain doesn’t have room to grow. “The condition can cause children to go blind and eventually kill them,” the doctor said.

Learning about the consequences was terrifying for both Regina and Ethan’s families.

Elizabeth Hernandez says she and her husband were frustrated and the ordeal has been emotionally draining. They are doing better now now that Regina’s condition is improving and developing like a normal infant.

The Hernandez’s and the Fernandez’s both told ABC-7 they feel blessed there is a surgeon in El Paso who can perform the complicated surgeries.

Not having to travel to Albuquerque, Dallas or Boston for the surgeries relieves parents of a huge financial burden.

That is good news, considering Regina and Ethan’s road to recovery will continue for years to come.

Dr. Yates says he will continue monitoring them until they are 18 years old. “It’s great to see them grow up and have this relationship with the famlies,” the doctor said.