Audio By Carbonatix
A man whose skull was partly removed after he fell from a drainpipe has had his head reshaped using stomach fat.
Tim Barter, 32, from Brixton, awoke from a coma 10 days after his 25ft fall with a brain haemorrhage, shattered eye socket, and part of his skull removed.
King's College Hospital surgeons used body fat to repair his temple in the first procedure of its kind in Britain.
Mr Barter, a visual effects supervisor, said: "I'm making the most of everything now where I didn't before."
In June 2009, Mr Barter, who has regularly worked on the BBC's Doctor Who, locked himself out of his house and decided to climb up to an upstairs window to gain entry.
But the drainpipe collapsed beneath him, causing him to plunge to the ground.
He said he had no recollection of the fall but believes he must have landed face-first.
Mr Barter was discovered unconscious by his neighbours and taken to the major trauma centre at King's College Hospital, where part of his skull was removed to cope with the bleeding and swelling on his brain.
"Life stopped for a number of months. I couldn't work and I had double vision," he said.
A custom-made titanium plate was fixed to replace the piece of removed skull.
The plate was developed at King's using computer technology to make it mirror the other side of his head.
Meanwhile, the fat from his stomach was injected into his temple to fill out the concavity that had appeared through the slump of inactive muscle.
Robert Bentley, director of trauma at King's, said: "Tim highlights an area of expertise that I've developed here at King's over the last nine years in which we have inserted over 250 such prostheses."
Since his fall, far from fearing heights, Mr Barter developed a love for skydiving.
"I love the falling. It's just the split second at the end that's an occasional problem."
Following his recovery, which lasted for two years, he has been wall climbing, kayaking and going to the gym "to get a decent physique".
"I can't put anything off any more I'm doing what I've always put on my list," he said.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Indonesia rescuers battle turbulent seas in search for 129 people after passenger ship capsizes
10 minutes -
Iceland’s last whaling company shrugs off threat of permanent ban
16 minutes -
‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’ – GBA President on CJ’s SOEs comments
18 minutes -
Member of UK Armed Forces dies in road traffic incident in Ukraine
20 minutes -
Mahama to honour GAF Engineers Regiment with Order of the Companion of the Volta
23 minutes -
Agbodza demands quality, value for money in Accra-Kumasi Expressway construction
25 minutes -
Companies left China to dodge tariffs, now some are heading back
25 minutes -
Bali police investigate after Australian man and children found dead in home
25 minutes -
Government will not borrow to fund Accra-Kumasi Expressway – Ato Forson
33 minutes -
‘Judicial Service’s defence of Chief Justice was lacklustre’ – GBA President
35 minutes -
Etihad Airways sees strong demand, higher passenger capacity despite Iran war, CEO says
38 minutes -
AirBaltic files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as Iran war costs bite
38 minutes -
COPEC calls for strategic fuel reserve to reduce dependence on tax cuts
44 minutes -
GAF hands over 175.6km right-of-way for Accra-Kumasi Expressway construction to gov’t
44 minutes -
GFA rejects claims Medeama, Nations FC exits expose GPL weakness
44 minutes