In a rare operation, a team of doctors at a Mumbai hospital performed minimal access spine surgery on an 82-year-old Bamboo Spine patient by implanting 14 screws in his spinal cord.
This condition is a form of rheumatic arthritis associated with long-term inflammation of the joints in the spine. Symptoms include pain and stiffness from the neck down to the lower back.The patient Ibrahim Mullaji became totally bed ridden, was paralysed, had fluid in both his lungs and very low protein levels complicating his situation.
The traditional surgery requiring a long incision was not as effective. The new method, a minimally invasive spine surgery does not involve long incision, avoiding damage to muscles surrounding the spine and results in faster recovery. Mullaji has now fully recovered.