Rare spinal surgery performed

Visakhapatnam: A rare 4.5-hour complex spinal surgery was performed on 14-year-old Neeraja in the city recently. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Dr B Leela Prasad, of Hyma Spine and Ortho Clinic, said Neeraja's parents noticed a small hump on their daughter's back and assumed that the cause was due to the weight of the school bag. However, the size of the hump never decreased and the girl started developing deformity. Local doctors, including Dr Prasad, who were consulted, diagnosed it as scoliosis. Scoliosis correction is a major surgery and the patient runs the risk of paralysis of lower limbs and hence the surgery could only be done in big metros. Her parents were apprehensive that the surgery could possibly leave her daughter permanently paralysed and were scared of the risks involved. Many of her friends and relatives advised her against the surgery. As the girl was determined to get her deformity corrected, she was prepared to take the risk. A total of 23 titanium pedicle screws were inserted into the vertebrae and connected to rods. The rods were de-rotated to straighten the spine and bone grafts were placed to prevent worsening of the deformity in the future. She was made to sit up on the first post-operative day, and started walking from the second day. Her deformity has been corrected and Neeraja looked comfortable. Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine is bent to one side resulting in abnormal shape of the back. It is more common in girls and usually affects adolescents. Abnormal shape of the spine places undue stresses on the para-spinal musculature and causes easy fatigability. Large curves cause respiratory problems later on. More severe than the physical effects is the mental stress. There is a lot of social stigma and the girls are depressed and usually avoid coming outdoors. Scoliosis correction was previously a complex surgery and required two-stage correction. Better implants and instrumentation systems later on have made this surgery much simpler. Dr Leela Prasad and his team of surgeons � Dr M Murali Mohan and Dr J Naresh Babu � performed the operation in a city-based corporate hospital. Anaesthesia was administered by Dr G Atchyuth Rao and Dr B Srikanth. Dr Prasad was earlier trained at the Leelavathi and Hinduja Hospitals in Mumbai and took special Fellowship in Spinal Deformity Correction in Korea.