With spinal disorders on the rise, JIPMER has introduced minimally invasive keyhole (MIKH) surgery here on Saturday.
“The change in life style has resulted in a sudden rise in the number of patients coming with back ache and neck pain. Those who sit infront of computers for long hours develop disc prolapse and degeneration at a relatively young age,” said Dr V R Roopesh Kumar,additional professor and head of department of neurosurgery, JIPMER.
He added that around 68 per cent of patients are coming with spinal and neck disorder. “When JIPMER started the neurosurgery department way back in 2006, it was just 30 per cent. It is an alarming factor that those who are at their twenties are developing the problem. The youngest patient who was operated for this ailment was just 26 years,” said Dr Roopesh Kumar.
The minimally invasive spine surgery, relatively new in the country, is a boon to the patients as it reduces post- operative pain,reduces hospital stay and patients can return to work early. It requires only a day’s hospitalisation and the patient can go back home the next day. Besides good knowledge on the anatomy of the spine, JIPMER has acquired sophisticated instruments for this surgery, he added.
Now the department of neurosurgery is not only
taking up cases from the institute for surgery, but also gets a good number of cases referred from the government hospitals in Chennai and other neighbouring states.
Though emergency cases are taken up on priority basis, with limited operation theatre facilities, the patients have to wait for three months, he added.
The patients are also advised to take up spinal exercises to prevent degeneration of bones and the neurosurgery department has come out with a phamplet detailing the exercise.
The department also organised a two-day workshop on ‘Advances in Spine Surgery’ in collaboration with Medtronic Academia Medical Education earlier this month. The participants were given a detailed explanation on the MIKH surgery that was performed live by Dr Roopesh Kumar and Dr Sudhir Dubey, consultant neurosurgeon from Medanta Medicity Hospital, New Delhi.