14-yr-old’s spine deformity corrected by city doctors

City doctors gave a new lease of life to 14-year-old Shreya Desai (name changed), a Mumbai resident, who was born with a spine deformity. She was born with an abnormal gait that was tiled on one side. Her parents noticed the condition when it became prominent, resulting in a constant source of worry for the family.

An eight-hourlong surgery was performed and the hemivertebra excision was done

She often had to tilt her head in order to converse with people. She was suffering from a birth defect known as congenital scoliosis — sideways curvature of the spine that is caused by a defect that was present at birth caused by vertebrae that are not properly formed. Such a patient has no other option but to correct the defect through a surgery. Shreya’s case was extreme as the curve was already 75 degrees, and her short torso made it exceedingly uncomfortable for her. She was operated on September 10 at Ruby Hall Clinic in Wanowrie and was able to walk just three days later.

Dr Bhushan Khedkar, consultant spine surgeon, Ruby Hall Clinic, said, “The backbone helps hold the body upright. Without the spine’s gentle curve down the back, a person cannot balance, walk or move properly. With scoliosis, children whose curve is around 45 or 50 degrees are usually surgical candidates. Shreya’s curve was already 75 degrees. Therefore, surgical correction was the only option.”

An eight-hour-long surgery was performed and the hemivertebra excision was done for correcting the deformity. The spine was straightened and secured in place with rods and screws to stop the curve progression. “There is always a risk of impending spinal cord injury with such surgeries along with the possibility of loss of power in lower limbs and loss of bladder and bowel control. For this purpose, neuromonitoring was used throughout the procedure thereby reducing the occurrence of spinal cord injury,” added Khedkar.

Shreya’s father Niranjan Desai, shared, “We are so glad the surgery was completed without any complications. I am happy to see my daughter walking perfectly just a couple of days after the surgery. The team at the hospital has been supportive and we could see our daughter happier and confident after the treatment.”

Dr Shailesh Hadgaonkar, director of spine services at Sancheti Clinic, Pune, said, “Children at a young age with a suspicion of deformity need to be screened immediately. If they are provided timely customised bracing and exercises, we can avoid progression of such kind of a deformity. Congenital deformities are a challenge.

When there is a cosmetic deformity, this curve needs correction. Neuro-monitoring is mandatory nowadays for such surgeries that improve safety during spine correction procedures.”



Source : Pune Mirror , 23 Sep 2018