Trending: A skull fused too soon
At just 11 weeks old, Davis had endoscopic sagittal synostosis neurosurgery at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, giving his brain the opportunity to grow and his skull the chance to reshape.
Originally aired August 23, 2025
The Stollery Children’s Hospital is the most specialized children’s hospital in Western Canada. This helped set Alicia’s mind at ease when her newborn son, Davis, needed neurosurgery.
After Davis was born, his head was an unusual shape. His pediatrician watched Davis’ skull closely, but it didn’t resolve on its own, so he was referred to the Stollery for further treatment.
At the Stollery, Davis was diagnosed with sagittal craniosynostosis, meaning his skull fused too early.
“We all know that a baby’s head has got to grow,” says Dr. Vivek Mehta, Pediatric Neurologist at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. “If you have a problem with your skull, then you may show up with an abnormal head shape or you may show up with something even more severe.”
When he was just 11 weeks old, Davis returned to the Stollery where Dr. Mehta and the surgical team performed a minimally invasive endoscopic sagittal synostosis neurosurgery to release the fused bone.
After two small incisions and spending just 24 hours at the Stollery, Davis had successful brain surgery and was on the road to recovery.
“I was so grateful to be able to have the guidance of the Stollery and Dr. Mehta,” says Alicia. “Knowing that we were here with that accessible, just a brief drive from our house was amazing.”
In addition to purchasing specialized pediatric equipment, attracting and retaining the best and brightest medical minds helps make complex procedures and advanced care like this possible at the Stollery.