Sharada Health Care - Mysore Institute Of Spine Surgery

21/09/2021

Congenital deformities of spine are one of the most difficult spinal problems to address. Correction of such deformities requires complex surgical procedures involving removal of one or more vertebrae without damaging the spinal cord.
We had opportunity to operate on two such children with congenital kyphoscoliosis ( spine bent sideways as well as forwards) in a single day. Both almost similar in pathology requiring removal of one vertebra. The surgery was done using continuous neuromonitoring intraoperatively to minimize the chances of neurological injury in such complex surgeries. This is the gold standard in complex spine surgery.
We are proud that we are the only hospital in Mysore using intraoperative neuromonitoring routinely in complex spine surgeries.
Both the children did extremely well, walked on first post operative day and went home on fourth post operative day.

19/02/2020

19/02/2020

Scoliosis is condition where the spine becomes bent and crooked . It usually starts in childhood and many a times is progressive and if not treated can become grotesque.
In our country there is a widespread belief that the children of small age should not be operated and should wait till they are big for surgery. Unfortunately, this is the belief of some medical personal too and do not refer patients in time.
Here is an example of a little girl with deformity which was neglected to become a severe one, if treated early this deformity could have been prevented with relatively simple surgery.
Due to the severity of the deformity she had to undergo a surgery called posterior vertebral column resection wherein her spine is literally cut into two without damaging the spinal cord and realigned to get better correction of deformity. The surgery lasted about 9 hours. Post op she made a quick recovery and two months later she started going to school and lives independently in a boarding school.
The spine even though not perfectly straight has now a acceptable appearance and gives a huge boost to body image of a teenage girl. The immediate gain in height is also very apparent.

18/09/2019

Day care, awake endoscopic spine surgery is now a reality. For complete details click on the following link

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10220314269356858&id=1532839907

For any queries message(only) +91 8884455540 or
email drsreeharsha@gmail.com

07/12/2017

Quick fix solution for spinal fractures!?

80 year old lady with history of a minor fall at home 6 weeks back had presented to us. She had not been able to get out of the bed after that due to the severe pain in back. Her imaging studies showed that she had a fracture in her thoracic 11th vertebra. Fracturing vertebral bone is fairly common in elderly people with fragile bones. Majority of these fractures heal with minimal deformity. Unfortunately in this lady, the bone fragments instead of healing had been absorbed creating a big void in the vertebra ( seen as white signal on MRI scan). When this happens the condition becomes very painful without any hope of further spontaneous healing.

Here is where the quick fix solution comes in handy. In carefully selected patients a procedure called balloon kyphoplasty is helpful. In this procedure a balloon is inserted into the fractured vertebra and inflated to expand the collapsed vertebra. The cavity inside the vertebra is then filled with bone cement which hardens and gives structural stability. Extreme caution is taken to make sure the cement does not leak outside the vertebral body and onto the spinal cord. The results are instantaneous and hence, I am calling it quick fix solution.

This lady underwent the procedure. She woke up painfree from anaesthesia and started walking the same evening without pain. When she came in she wanted her life to end and when she was about to be discharged she said she wanted to live till her great grandson got married..!

21/05/2017

Can age be a factor against Spine surgery?

This is a story of a 83 year old who had a condition called degenerative lumbar canal stenosis. Due to this she was progressively finding it difficult to walk. From leading a very active life style she was not able to venture outside. Having children settled abroad it was important for her to remain independent.

Her spinal cord in lower back was pinched at many places because of disc bulge and bony outgrowths. She needed surgery to relieve her symptoms. Considering her advanced age near and dear had advised against her surgery. But the prospect of loosing her independent lifestyle made the lady decide for surgery.

She was evaluated for surgery and was found to be fit for surgery. She underwent a 5 hour surgery to completely decompress the spinal cord and to insert 10 screws and 4 interbody spacers. She made a uneventful recovery. She is now happy to have retained her independence and to go for morning walks.

It is common to assume that elderly people do not benefit from spine surgery or it is unsafe to undergo surgery at advanced age. In fact in medically fit elderly patients are he ones who benefit from spine surgery as it helps them to maintain their independent status

22/03/2017

Surgery for cervical myelopathy:

A 45 year old gentleman presented with progressive difficulty in walking. Neurologist colleague had evaluated him and diagnosed as a case of cervical myelopathy and referred to us for for management. When patient came to see me two people had to support him when walking. His MRI scan showed severe compression of spinal cord at the neck. After appropriate evaluation patient underwent a 5 hours long surgery to remove bodies of two cervical vertebrae ( technically called corpectomy) to free the spinal cord. The resulting gap was supported by expandable titanium cage and titanium plate and screws.

After uneventful post operative period patient was sent home after two days. When he came for follow-up one week later, it was a pleasant surprise to see him walk into clinic independently with slight imbalance. He is expected to improve in coming months.

Cervical myelopathy is a under diagnosed condition and due to lack of proper understanding and fear many people do not seek proper care. When diagnosed early and intervened patients can expect a good improvement in their condition.

22/02/2017

65 year old gentleman with spinal fracture due to road traffic accident. Complete anatomy restored by minimal access ( key hole) spine surgery. Day after surgery patient is mobile, ready to go home next day.