Man with curved spine walks after 15 yrs

■ City docs say patient was not able to sit, lie down

Doctors at a city hospital helped a 28- year- old man with severely curved spine, which was parallel to the ground, stand up straight for first time after 15 years.

According to doctors, Dheeraj, a resident of Jodhpur, was unable to walk, sit, or lie down straight. He was diagnosed with spondylitis of a severe nature, medically known as ankylosing spondylitis with severe kyphotic deformity of spine ( hunchback) with ankylosed hip joints.

Spine surgery consultant at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre ( ISCI), Dr Gururaj Sangondimath, said that upon detailed investigation the patient was diagnosed with spondylitis of a severe nature.

The initial ailment in Dheeraj was a bilateral hip pain and he was treated for rheumatic fever in 2001. However, the response to the treatment was poor and soon flexion deformity of bilateral hips set in. The right hip was the first to be affected. By 2012, the deformity progressively spread as complete flexion deformity of bilateral hips with thighs in contact with abdomen.

Doctors said that the patient underwent total hip replacement earlier this year. However, it had limited benefits and a spine deformity corrective surgery, which was essential, posed the risk of developing weakness in limbs and other complications.

Despite the challenges, the doctors at ISCI performed an 8- hour long operation to fix the deformity with minimal risk to the patient.

“After much deliberation and systematic evaluation, the team of doctors at ISIC carried out corrective osteotomies and fixation surgery on Dheeraj to correct his deformity in an 8- hour long surgery. The surgery went well and the patient is recovering with mild weakness in the left lower limb with postoperative rehabilitation. We are hopeful that he will be able to lead a normal life very soon,” Dr Sangondimath added.