City docs replace elbow of a Kenyan woman

In a rare and complex elbow joint replacement surgery, doctors at Yashoda Hospitals in Somajiguda completely replaced the elbow joint of a woman patient from Kenya. Elbow replacement surgery is a complicated procedure partly because the elbow has several moving parts that balance each other with great precision to control the movements of forearm. Hence, great care must be taken to avoid harming the large nerve that travels along the outside edge of the joint.

The arduous procedure was successfully conducted by a team of surgeons led by joint replacement and sports medicine specialist Dr Sunil Dachepalli on 70-year-old Asho from Kenya on March 18. Post surgery she was discharged in less than three days and found to be recuperating well. Explaining the rarity of elbow replacement surgery, Dr Sunil said, “Unlike knee and hip replacement surgeries, elbow replacement is a rare and specialised surgery that involves skillful dealing with muscles, ligaments and delicate joints.

For approximately every 10,000 knee and hip replacement surgeries, one elbow joint surgery is usually conducted in the country.” The doctor explained that the patient had badly fractured her left elbow due to a fall a year-and-a-half ago. “Since then she underwent two surgeries at her home town which failed to alleviate her misery. Her life was crippled due to this ailment. She found it difficult to move her elbow as it has become stiff with an unbearable pain.

And her left hand was rendered non-functional,” said the doctor. Having successfully undergone the procedure, Asho is now able to comfortably move the elbow without much pain. She could use her hand as before after going through a physiotherapy programme, added Dr Sunil.