BENGALURU: Four years after his leg was damaged by a bomb blast, 37-year-old Kasim is able to walk without support again, thanks to doctors in Bengaluru who used 3D printing to accurately assess the type and extent of his injuries.Kasim, a Yemeni national, had a fused hip and shortened left leg as a result of the injuries he suffered in the blast in 2018 and the 23 surgeries that followed. “After the incident, I suffered from depression.
I had to use prosthetics for my left leg so that it would touch the ground and I needed crutches to walk. I could not even use a wheelchair to move around because I couldn’t bend my hip properly to sit. Nobody was willing to give me a permanent job due to my disability. Doing simple things such as cooking, cleaning, bathing or even sitting became a huge task,” he said.
His friend, who had undergone knee replacement surgery at Aster RV Hospital in JP Nagar a year ago, referred him. Doctors there assessed Kasim’s condition and decided to use 3D printing technology. “Kasim had lost the entire ball and socket of his hip and the remnant was fixed to his hip, due to which no movement was possible.
3D printing technology helped us get a three-dimensional view of the injured area and map out the best way to approach the damage part, identify landmarks and structure in the deranged anatomy and accurately plan the fixation and rebuilding of the hip structure,” said Dr J V Srinivas, lead consultant for orthopaedics at Aster RV Hospital. On February 2, they performed a complex four-hour hip reconstruction surgery using specialised equipment. This was followed by rehabilitation during which he re-learned to use his leg. His hip can move with ease, helping him be as independent as he used to be.