3D tech surgery corrects neck deformity

Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS Hospitals), Kondapur performed a surgery on a 13-year-old boy suffering from congenital deformity of cervical and dorsal spine with multiple hemivertebrae.

The surgery was done using a 3D technology procedure recently, which brings focus on importance of identification of congenital disorders at a young age in children, informed the team of doctors at a presser in the city on Tuesday.

“The boy, G Siva Prasad of Budwel had been suffering with severe neck pain, a neck deformity since childhood. Siva would look dull always and was prone to depression identified after a regular general examination. The worsening and growing deformity bringing more pain, fear and trauma also increased the risk of paralysis if left untreated,” said Dr Krishna Chaitanya, Spine Surgeon.

“It was decided to operate on the child and the surgery done with necessary documents for CM Relief fund, to minimise the expenses,” he said. Elaborating on the procedure, he said, “The surgery was planned by preparing a plastic model of the child spine by 3D printing and intraoperative neural monitoring technology to plan the screws and order them.

The child was operated in two stages on the same day. It took 13 hours to complete the entire procedure and 80 per cent correction of the deformity was achieved.” “The boy recovered well and is now walking comfortably after the surgery. Parents were extremely happy and relieved of the burden they were carrying from last 10 years,” he said.

“Ideally this child should have been operated when he was five years old, which would have been a much simpler surgery with less risk. The main aim of surgery is to prevent further progression of the deformity, which would make the child paralytic and prevent the lungs from expanding, so we have to remove the entire vertebrae which are abnormal. There are also very few case reports in literature addressing such deformities in the cervical spine,” said the doctor.