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A rare spinal surgery

A unique spinal surgery was demonstrated live at the Perambur Railway Hospital December 16. A team of doctors headed by Dr Ravikumar, head of the Department of Orthopedics, Perambur Railway Hospital, and Dr. Ramchanda of Mumbai performed the surgery.

This surgery was done in connection with the 3-day pre-conference workshop on spinal trauma using zeta spine system organised by the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) at the hospital.

This method is used for patients who have spinal problems which renders them immobile. This ailment may be caused by fracture of bones or loss of calcium in the bones.

According to Dr Ravikumar, the operational process takes three hours. The patient on whom the operation was done today is 22 years old. She fell from the roof and a part of the lower spine got fractured. The fracture was in the lumber vertebra i.e., one of five vertebrae in the human spine and which is the lower part of the spine.

We are fixing the upper and lower bones so that the bone which has got affected in between will get cured after one to one-and-a-half years. This fixing is done with the help of Titanium rods and screws. The patient has responded well to the operation and has been admitted to the post-operative ward.

Asked why they use Titanium rods and screws, the doctor stated the metal was as strong as the bones. This type of surgery is not new to India. We have done this type of operation many times, he added. More than 300 orthopaedic patients have been operated upon per year for the past 11 years at Perambur Railway Hospital, Dr. Ravikumar stated.

About the success rate, he said 95 per cent of success can be achieved while 100 per cent is difficult to achieve.

This operation can be done for fractures and deformation correction. The operation is free at the railway hospital as it is done for railway employees. If this operation was performed at a private hospital, it would cost more than Rs 1.5 lakh, Dr. Ravikumar pointed out.

This operation can be done on patients of any age group and this is one of the important aspects to be taken into consideration.

Perambur Railway Hospital, one of India's oldest hospitals, has been performing operations for joint replacement, spinal surgeries and external fixation surgeries.

N Arun Kumar

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