Chennai: A fusion less scoliosis surgery was successfully performed for the first time in the country on a 14-year-old girl affected by scoliosis, which is an abnormal sideward curvature of the spine. The surgery was performed by a group of doctors headed by consultant spine surgeon Dr Sajan K. Hegde at Apollo Hospitals after the patient was brought to the hospital recognising the sudden changes in her postures.
Shreya, who was fine like any other child, started showing signs of deformity in her spine when she turned 12, she experienced pain and there was an increase in the deformity. She was unable to carry on her day-to-day activities.
After initial medical interventions, it was found that she was affected by Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). The disease which is an abnormal sideward curvature of the spine is usually seen in young girls aged 8-12 year and it affects two to three per cent of children between the ages of 10 and 18, a time when the human body is growing at its most rapid pace.
AIS results in an unsightly distortion of the rib cage, trunk and shoulders and severe scoliosis can also cause cardiopulmonary problems.
“Fusionless Scoliosis Surgery is a shorter, less invasive, less expensive surgery that preserves motion and function in patients while lessening the chance of back pain later in life. This technique can now be used in select cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis where the deformity is corrected using a flexible cable. Here no fusion of the operated portion of spine is performed,” said Dr. Sajan K Hegde.
The patient is under physiotherapy, her posture has improved her ribcage, trunk and shoulders are aligned and getting better. She is back to normal day-to-day activity, he added.
