THE mother of a 10-month old child who was born with a rare skull problem has praised her son for his bravery having undergone two operations.

Vicki Green, 42, from West Lulworth, spoke out in light of her son Atticus Wilson, who was born with sagittal synostosis, the most common type of craniosynostosis.

During the pregnancy, one of Atticus’ sutures fused and left him with a misshapen skull.

This form of craniosynostosis was considered to be non-syndromic and Atticus has since had to undergo two operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to reshape his skull.

Vicki said: “What is remarkable about him is that he has never stopped smiling and being happy no matter how much pain he is in.”

The first operation involved removing the fused bone and inserting springs to help reshape Atticus’ skull. The second operation involved removing these springs.

Vicki said: “I’m amazed at how quickly he has bounced back from all this. He’s going to have more operations in the future.

“His bravery has been absolutely astounding.”

Atticus requires regular check-ups for intracranial pressure and faces more plastic surgery in the future to reshape his forehead and temples.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of four hospitals in the UK that treats synostosis. In addition to receiving support from GOSH, Vicki and her partner have received support from Dorset County Hospital.

His first operation, which Vicki claims has only been in practice for a short time, had to be carried out

before Atticus was six months old.

Vicki said: “The care he’s received all along from both hospitals has been absolutely amazing. It’s been absolutely incredible.

“We never expected this to happen when I was pregnant. The level of care we have had is fantastic.”

Dorset County Hospital continues to provide Atticus with routine EEG scans and auditory tests.

Atticus has a six-year-old brother called Linus.

Vicki said: “[Linus has] obviously been very worried about his brother. He absolutely adores him.”

Craniosynostosis affects an estimated one in every 1,800 to 3,000 children, according to the NHS.

Vicki said she was keen to raise awareness about his condition, adding: “It has left him developmentally delayed, he may need speech therapy and there is a chance he may have learning difficulties in the future but he is bright, alert and very aware and everyone who meets him falls in love with him. And like I said, he never ever stops smiling.”

Vicki said Atticus had already been through a lot in his short life.

She added: “He’s an absolute star in our village. Everyone knows him.They’re always amazed with his progress.”