Surgery to correct spine performed on 4-year-old
CHENNAI: Doctors at Gleneagles Global Health City successfully performed a spinal deformity correction surgery using 3D technology on a four-year-old girl from Sri Lanka.
According to a release, “The child was suffering from congenital scoliosis, an abnormal curvature in the spinal column caused by defective segmentation or formation of vertebrate or both. Congenital scoliosis occurs in only one out of 10,000 newborns. If not treated, it will alter the shape of the chest cavity and prevent the lung from developing normally”.
“The child was brought to the hospital with breathing problems, recurrent episodes of chest infection and difficulty in walking. She was found to have severe deformities, causing the spine to be curved by 90 degrees,” the release added.
“With the help of CT scan image doctors created an anatomical 3D model of the vertebral column using 3D printing technology. With these they rehearsed the surgery as well as created a template to make a tract to fix the screws,” the release said
“As a result of straightening her spine, the girl grew 2.5 inches and also her 90-degree curve was corrected to 60 degrees.”