Girl, 8, has world-first brain surgery

An eight-year-old girl from Cheshire has become the first child in the world to have pioneering brain surgery aimed at easing her dystonic cerebral palsy.

Surgeons at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool performed a new form of advanced deep brain stimulation (DBS) on Hayley in January.

Her four-hour operation saw surgeons insert tiny electrodes - as small as a grain of rice - into the part of Hayley's brain that is responsible for movement.

Mr Ellenbogen said: "DBS isn't suitable for all patients with dystonia, but for some children and young people it can be life-changing."

But Hayley's mother Emma said: "With Parkinson's patients, typically they develop it in later in life, so when they turn their machine on, they already have the control and their brain already knows what to do.

While many months of trial and error lie ahead to find the right level of stimulation for Hayley, Emma also noticed a marked improvement in her daughter.