9-Year-Old Girl Walks Again After Complex Spinal Surgery at KGH

Visakhapatnam:  A nine-year-old girl from Anakapalli district has recovered from a complex spinal cord surgery at King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam, regaining her ability to walk after suffering from tuberculosis-induced spinal deformity. Tejaswani, a resident of Madugula mandal, was admitted to KGH's neurosurgery department on November 7 with severe neck pain and an inability to hold her head upright. Medical imaging revealed she had cervical dorsal junction (CDJ) kyphosis at the D1-D2 vertebrae, a spinal deformity caused by tuberculosis that created a dangerous 60-degree curvature in her spine. The surgical team, led by Dr Y.M. Premjit Ray, Head of the neurosurgery department, performed the procedure on December 6. The operation involved specialists from the cardiothoracic surgery, orthopaedic, and anaesthesia departments working together in the hospital's neurosurgery operating theatre. "If the operation had been delayed, the patient's legs would have completely become numb, and she would not have been able to walk," hospital officials stated in a press release. The surgery, valued at approximately Rs 4 lakh, was provided free of charge to the family under the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Scheme, a government health initiative. Following the successful operation, Tejaswani has regained her ability to walk normally, with her pain completely subsiding.