Kottayam: Neurosurgeons at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital have performed a successful keyhole surgery of a herniated disc in lower spine on a 56-year-old woman. This is the first for a government hospital in the State to successfully perform such a complex surgery.
The patient, Mohini, a native of Kaipuzha in Pathanamthitta, had a history of back problems since birth. When the back pain became unbearable, she sought medical help at the Neurosurgery wing of the MCH.
A team of doctors led by Neurosurgery head Dr. P. K. Balakrishnan conducted regular examinations and tests and identified that one of her vertebrae had slipped forward onto the vertebra below it. Since the spiral cord is surrounded and protected by the vertebral column, the doctors ruled out the option of a normal open surgery as it could be very risky.
When it seemed she had to wait indefinitely to get rid of the excruciating and persistent back pain, the doctors advised her to opt for a minimally-invasive surgery.
With the help of a set of modern devises, the doctors could locate the disks protruding through the outer ring and performed the surgery which involves removing the protruding bit of the disc through a tiny incision in the back and fixing rods and screws. The entire procedure lasted for about four hours.
Dr. Tinu Ravi Abraham, Dr. Shaju, Dr, Vinu Mohan, Dr. Philip Isaac, and doctors from the Department of Anaesthesia were also part of the team.
Conventional surgery is said to be a highly risky option to treat spinal cord injuries and disc problems as it could cause irreversible paralysis of the patient’s lower body functions.
The main advantages of keyhole surgery are lower complication rates and minimised risk of infection, said the doctors.
If facilities are made available to conduct such endoscopic keyhole surgery on a regular basis, it will be a great boon to hundreds of patients who have spinal cord and disc problems, they added.
Apart from offering greater safety and quicker recovery, it ensures less post-operative pain and shorter hospital stay as well. Mohini is expected to be discharged within three days if she does not develop other complications.
It is learnt that hundreds of patients suffering from serious head and backbone problems, who have registered themselves long back, are waiting endlessly to get their surgery done.
Surgery on patients who have registered their names recently will be performed in next August only.
