Woman whose neck would dislocate when she yawned has radical surgery fusing her spine to her skull - and will never be able to look down again
- Kirstin Maltby, 33, has had her spine and skull fused together in radical surgery
- Ms Maltby had suffered from a rare condition called craniocervical instability
- The condition meant her neck was unable to hold up the weight of her skull
An Australian woman whose skull was slowly sinking into her spine has undergone radical surgery to fuse her spine and skull together.
Sydney's Kirstin Maltby suffered from a rare condition which saw her neck unable to hold up her head's weight, leaving her bedridden and in debilitating pain.
Ms Maltby turned to a risky new surgery - fusing the skull and spine - that will alleviate the problem but it came at a high cost: the 33-year-old will no longer be able to turn to the side or look down ever again.
Sydney's Kirstin Maltby suffered from a rare condition called craniocervical instability, which meant her neck was unable to support the weight of skull
Kirsten was forced to turn to a risky and new surgery that saw her spine fused together with her skull (pictured after the surgery)
The radical five-hour procedure saw Ms Maltby's skull fused to her neck using a combination of screws, rods and plates.
And even though the surgery was deemed a success, Ms Maltby may be unable to drive again after losing mobility.
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'It was a little daunting knowing I have to lose function in hopes to regain health,' Ms Maltby told Daily Mail Australia.
'But I was so far gone it felt like such a small ask to potentially get better.'
Ms Maltby suffered from craniocervical instability, in which the junction of the skull and neck are much more mobile than normal.
The condition made her spine too fragile to hold up the weight of her head so her skull began to sink down.
Ms Maltby suffered from craniocervical instability, which is what happens when the junction of her skull and neck are much more mobile than normal (a scan shows her unstable spine)
'I had to be careful whenever I yawned because my neck would dislocate causing me pain and my neck would get stuck. If I ever left the house, it would take me days to recover,' she said.
Because the debilitating condition affects the brain stem - Ms Maltby also suffered a slew of other issues with her digestion and respiration.
'We do hope that with little adaptions like mirrors that extend my vision on the car I should be able to drive again,' she said.
'But we won't know how frozen my neck is till it's all healed. I'll have to compensate by moving other parts of my body. I'm in a neck brace keeping everything immobile while healing for a few more weeks.'
Neurosurgeon Dr Prashanth Rao, who operated on Ms Maltby at Macquarie University Hospital called the surgery 'a big deal' for a young person.
Because the debilitating condition affects the brain stem - Ms Maltby said she also saw a whole slew of other issues arise such as digestion and respiration problems
'She won't be able to turn around much, she won't be able to look down - it's a big deal for a young person - you're making people completely stuck,' he told 9News.
He also stated that for people suffering from the rare condition, there was little treatment readily available.
'There has been only a couple of centres in the world that people go to, and even then we don't have much research into this. What we did was a bit unique.'
Ms Maltby will be able leave the rehabilitation unit at Westmead Private Hospital and return home in two weeks time.
She has since started a Go Fund Me page to help her meet the costs of the surgery, which she has so far paid out of her own pocket.
Ms Maltby has been fitted with a plate to adjust to her new spine and will leave rehabilitation in the coming weeks
