HMC offers new technique for spine fracture surgery
08/02/2012 07:32
People who have suffered osteoporotic vertebrae fracture due to trauma, especially road accidents or osteoporosis, will no longer be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of the life, thanks to a new technique called kyphoplasty being introduced at the HMC’s orthopaedic surgery department. The new procedure, which was the first stand-alone surgery to be done at the department, lasts for 60 minutes and the patient can be discharged two days after the surgery. The technique has been successfully done on the first patient - a man in his late 60s. “Unfortunately, treating the osteoporosis fracture through the traditional procedure is not always up to the standards and many patients end up in a wheelchair, but this new technique gives patients immediate pain relief, early mobilisation and discharge from the hospital apart from improving their quality of life because they are able to stand upright and walk immediately after the surgery,” HMC consultant spinal surgeon Dr Abdulmoeen Baco, who led the team of surgeons for the procedure, said at a press conference yesterday. He said that the technique is a minimally invasive one that requires a 1cm incision, through which a working cannula is placed through the pedicle and an orthopaedic balloon is guided into the fractured vertebral body. “The balloon is inflated, reducing the fracture and elevating the superior end-plate. Once the fracture has been reduced, the balloons are deflated and removed. Inflation and deflation of the balloons create a void that serves as a repository for the bone cement,” he added. Speaking about the patient, he said: “The original plan was to treat him in bed rest for six weeks having sustained the fracture in a road accident but he was later referred to our department for kyphoplasty and the operation was successful.” He advised geriatric patients care givers and those at the emergency unit to immediately refer, to the Spinal unit at the orthopaedic surgery department, any patient involved in accident and have suffered fracture, saying the unit has the most advanced technique and facilities to look after them properly. “The earlier the patients are referred to us, the better for them. We can save them from unnecessary pain and restore their quality of life in no time,” he said. Dr Baco, who recently joined HMC from the UK having garnered up to 20 years experience in orthopaedic surgery and another 10 years in spine surgery field and has conducted more than 100 cases of kyphoplasty in the UK, said the technique was first introduced five years ago and started to gain popularity in the US, the UK and Europe in the last three years. However, the orthopaedic surgery department acting head and senior consultant arthoplasty and sport medicine, Dr Mohamed Al Ateeq al-Dosari, said that plans to establish a spine centre of excellence at the department was on course. “We have identified as a priority to establish the centre here in order to cater to cases of spinal injuries and also to keep to our strategic landmark improvement of providing the next generation with the right orthopaedic care. We are also striving to introduce state-of-the-art technology at the same time investing in human resources with the right expertise for the betterment of patients in Qatar,” he mentioned. Also present at the press conference were HMC specialist orthopaedic Dr Issam Alhaeldael and senior technologist Dr Kamal Mustafa. |
source: Gulf Times