Bokaro General Hospital introduces modern treatment for spinal ailments

Bokaro General Hospital has introduced an advance treatment for those suffering from spinal problems.
A team of doctors in the neurosurgery department of Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) performed vertebroplasty a few months ago for the first time on a 58-year-old woman, Noor Jahan, who was suffering from osteoporosis, after medical treatment yielded no result. "She is leading a normal life now," said BGH sources.

Vertebroplasty is a modern treatment for vertebral compression fractures which are not responsive to conventional medicines. Doctors say it is one of the minimal invasive procedures to correct deformity of spinal cords.

Anand Kumar, the neurosurgeon who led the team that performed vertebroplasty, said they went for intensive diagnosis after medicines failed to pacify Noor Jahan's pain. "Spinal cord is a vital part (of the body) and damage of any form may lead to complete paralysis for life," he said.

The woman was diagnosed with osteoporosis of spinal cord, caused by calcium deficiency. Aatin Jaiswal, an orthopaedist, and Kumar then consulted doctors in the radiology department where senior consultants Y P Bhattacharya and Vipin Pathak conducted advance MRI and spotted the weak bone.

While explaining the procedure, Kumar said unlike other surgeries which are done in operation theatres, vertebroplasty can be performed in the radiology room under fluoroscopy, an advance X-ray technique.
Every month, over 30 patients with spinal ailments visit BGH. The 910-bed hospital is the only facility in the district to have the modern equipment for vertebroplasty.

By this operative procedure a lot of patients of spinal fractures due to disease or trauma, patients of old age with spinal collapse and patients of end stage cancer with severe pain due to spinal causes will be benefited.
However, analyzing all the factors he alongwith his team which includes doctor Sushil and others decided to go for vertebroplasty to cure the patient. Unlike other operations which are performed in Operation Theatre, they performed this surgery in Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) room of Radiology Department under fluoroscopy guidance. Fluoroscopy is an imaging technique that uses X-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the internal structures through fluoroscope.

What is vertebroplasty?

Vertebroplasty was first performed in France in 1984 to treat compression fractures caused by bone cancer or bone metastasis, and later to treat compression fractures caused by osteoporosis. Percutaneous vertebroplasty was introduced in the US in 1994.
In this surgery, doctors make a tiny hole (about tip of a pen) on backbone from where bone cement is injected through a needle between the spaces of the damaged bone of the cord. Which gradually solidifies and takes normal shape of the bone and thus pain is reduced. It needs immense concentration and perfection.



Source : TOI , Ranchi  ( 23rd Feb 2013 )