CUTTACK: The Orthopaedics department of SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) has successfully conducted the first unicondylar knee replacement surgery on a woman recently.
A team of doctors led by Associate Professor Dr Atanu Mohanty performed the surgery on 45-year-old Urmila Nahak of Kairasi village in Ganjam district on February 24.
Nahak, who belongs to a poor family, had been suffering from acute pain in her right knee joint for the last six years. She first consulted some local physicians and hospitals, and then many orthopedicians in and outside the State. As the pain did not subside, she was admitted to SCB on January 16.
After pre-operative examination and investigation, a diagnostic arthroscopy was conducted on her affected knee on January 27. It was found that her lateral condyle on femur and tibia were completely damaged, following which it was decided to go for unicondylar knee replacement surgery.
The financial constraint, which was a major hindrance for the surgery, was overcome by Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) through which all requirements, including implants, were sanctioned. After surgery, Urmila resumed her daily activities within a couple of days.
"This sort of complicated surgery was conducted for the first time in a Government-run hospital of the State free of cost under BSKY," said Dr Mohanty.
The advantage of this surgery in comparison to total knee replacement is that complication following unicondylar operation is very minimal with patients recovering quickly. The normal anatomical architecture of the knee joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments, is preserved so that a patient can do his/her all activities like heavy sports, climbing and hard labour works without any restriction, he added.