PGI performs rare surgery on toddler

LUCKNOW: Two-year-old Anmol had no power in his shoulder and elbow; his hands were numb due to an injury to the brachial plexus when he was being born.

The brachial plexus is a network (plexus) of nerves extending from the spinal cord, through the neck, over the first rib, and into the armpit. These nerves provide movement and sensation in the shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers.

Damage to the brachial plexus leads to weakness, and is often caused when an infant’s neck is stretched to the side during a difficult delivery (brachial plexus birth palsy). This results in weakness in the arm and loss of motion.

Experts say that one or two of every 1,000 babies have this condition. However, such things are detected only after sometime because parents are unable to spot the lack of movement in the arms of babies.

For the last two years, the parents of Anmol were running from one doctor to another but most doctors were unable to diagnose the damage.

His parents reached SGPGI only to find the OPD closed. But they were able to meet surgeon Ankur Bhatnagar who immediately diagnosed the problem. When he saw the pain of Anmol’s parents, he agreed to operate on the boy.

He immediately sent them for a Covid-19 test and when the report came in negative, he admitted the child.

Bhatnagar said: “We performed a complex surgery in which the finest of nerves were repaired under a microscope. This method is called mod quad procedure. Now, the boy is able to move his hand and his progress is being monitored. ”