Complex surgery performed at KIMS Kondapur on 80-yr-old Ankylosing Spondylitis patient

HYDERABAD: Dr. Krishna Chaitanya, Consultant Spine Surgeon at KIMS Kondapur, successfully treated the condition of an 80-year-old patient who had been experiencing neck and back pain for the last five years.

According to KIMS hospitals, the patient has been unable to walk upright or bend for the past three years. He was so crippled that he couldn't sleep straight for the last three years and couldn't see forward objects due to significant neck and spine deformity.

The patient visited multiple hospitals but received no relief. Finally, in December 2022, he paid a visit to KIMS Kondapur and met Dr. Krishna Chaitanya, Consultant Spine Surgeon.

The doctor advised him of a potentially hazardous but concrete solution to his condition after examination and a series of examinations. He was advised to undergo a major surgery known as Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy, which is a highly advanced treatment with significant risks for the patient.

He did, however, encouraged the patient to undergo the surgery given the new technologies like navigation and trained surgeons with a dedicated spine team. The technique includes a spine fracture and the removal of a wedge-shaped bone from one portion of the spine to correct the abnormality. Any error in measuring the angles would be fatal for the sufferer.

The doctor opted to remove a 30-degree wedge from the L3 vertebrae in the spine, restoring the spine to near-normal curvature and restoring his forward vision after analysing all of the images and calculating alternate angles.

The patient's spine was initially 3D printed, and deformity angles were estimated.

The surgery was performed in December using computer guidance and a unique operating table to correct the condition. The entire treatment was carried out with the assistance of Intra Operative Neural Monitoring.

The procedure took 8 hours and resulted in a blood loss of 1500 cc. The anaesthetic team performed an outstanding job of keeping the patient comfortable throughout the surgery.

The patient recovered quickly after the treatment and regained his near-normal spine curvature. He was overjoyed that this change had given him another chance at life.