BHUBANESWAR: A 37-year-old man from Kendrapara district who had been suffering from ankylosing spondylitis (AS) for nearly two decades got a new lease of life following three complex orthopaedic surgeries at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar recently.
AS is a chronic inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine, causing pain and stiffness, especially in the lower back and hips, often starting in young adulthood.
The patient, Biswa Bhusan Rout’s condition had led to complete fusion of his spine and both hips, causing a severe and rigid deformity that left his trunk bent and immobile from neck to hips. His spine and thighs formed a nearly 150-degree angle, leaving his chin almost touching his thighs. This deformity severely impacted his daily life, making walking, sitting and sleeping difficult.
He approached the orthopaedics department at AIIMS where assistant professor Dr Deepak Neradi decided to conduct the surgery under the guidance of head of department Dr Bishnu Prasad Patro. Assisted by an anaesthesia team led by Dr Satyajeet Mishra, associate professor Dr Gurudip Das and Dr Neradi successfully performed bilateral hip replacement and spinal deformity correction, using advanced equipment including neuromonitoring, bone scalpel, high-speed burr and surgical microscope.
Executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas congratulated the team involved in the surgery. “The patient is alright now and able to sit, stand, walk, squat and look straight ahead, marking a dramatic improvement in his quality of life and functional independence,” he said.
Such surgeries in private healthcare settings typically cost between `25 lakh and `50 lakh, but Rout underwent the treatment free of cost under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.