Rare surgery conducted in Faridabad hospital, the first one other than Metros

Sanjay Chaturvedi

A rare surgery was conducted in Faridabad which was probably the first time in any non-metro town. The Neurosurgery team of QRG Central Hospital, Faridabad, successfully conducted four hour long “Endoscopic TransoralOdontoidectomy” to a 20 year old patient named Rahul Kumar, who was suffering from a disease called “Basilar Invagination’’ Which is a serious congenital disorder of cervical spine. The patient, Rahul Kumar, hailing from Farukkhabad in UP visited many hospitals in UP for complaints of loss of power in his all four limbs and was completely bed-ridden.

Dr. Tarun Sharma, senior Neurosurgeon said, “While Rahul was having some problem from birth itself, the problem aggravated after his fall from roof at his home. The disease is surfaced when the Atlas part of the spinal cord is pushed upside in the skull and the veins start being pressed. The surgery was done by the neurosurgery team of QRG hospital with minimally access technique and with the help of Neuro-endoscope. Endoscopic TransoralOdontoidectomy is a surgery in which bone of the cervical spine is removed through oral cavity using endoscope.

Dr. Tarun Sharma, HOD Neurosurgery said, ‘The Patient was completely bed-ridden when he came to us after consulting various hospitals. After evaluated by our neurosurgery team, we opted for Endoscopic TransoralOdontoidectomy, to cure the disease. Now the surgery was successful as patient has regained power in all four limbs and is able to walk again. Dr. Tarun said that it is a period of six weeks only for which the patient has to wear a neck support, that too while not lying on bed. After six months, said the doctor, the patient is free to perform all the normal functions.

Dr. Tarun said that the disease is a rare one found hardly in 1% of the population. He said that apart from the highly sophisticated apparatus needed to perform such surgery a high level of skill on the doctors performing the same is also a must. Talking about himself he said, “I got an opportunity to excel in such surgery at the time I was in University of Toronto”. The cost of the operation conducted in two stages came to about Rs.1,60,000/=.