THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A medical team at KIMSHEALTH here has successfully performed an advanced full endoscopic spine surgery with fusion technique on a 52-year-old woman to treat lumbar canal stenosis, a condition causing narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back. This minimally invasive procedure involves replacing the narrowed disc with an artificial one. It also marks the first of its kind in Kerala.
The patient had been experiencing pain in the lower back which led to weakness in the legs, difficulty in walking, and sciatica.
Having undergone a back surgery 15 years ago with only transient relief, the patient was now diagnosed with severe lumbar canal stenosis with listhesis -- a condition where the narrowed spinal canal pinches the spinal cord and nerves and an unstable spine. An MRI scan confirmed involvement of multiple nerves necessitating immediate intervention.
The patient underwent the novel full endoscopic spine surgery and advanced fusion procedure, stabilising the spine. This fully endoscopic surgery, which was conducted in two stages, lasting five hours, involved the precise removal of the narrowed spinal segment and placement of an expandable artificial disc to restore its optimal height through wounds less than 1 cm in length with no collateral muscle damage.
“If left untreated, it could have resulted in permanent weakness in the legs eventually in a bedridden condition,” said Dr Ajith R.
“Being one of the most advanced surgical methods for spinal degeneration, utilising an artificial expandable implant capable of regaining the desired height, it requires modern gadgets and equally good expertise to perform the procedure,” he further added.
The patient started walking from the next day and was discharged three days after the surgery. The surgical team was led by Dr Ajith R, senior consultant, department of neurosurgery. Dr Abu Madan, Dr Navas N S and Dr Bobby Iype, consultants, department of neurosurgery, along with Dr Susanth B, consultant, department of neuroanesthesia, were also part of the surgical procedure.
First of its kind in state
The surgery was performed on a 52-year-old woman to treat lumbar canal stenosis. This minimally invasive procedure involves replacing the narrowed disc with an artificial one. It also marks the first of its kind in Kerala.