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- Jul 7, 2009
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Chennai hospital fixes Tanzanian girl with resorbable screws
TNN 11 November 2009, 07:29am ISTPrint Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |
CHENNAI: In what holds hope for several patients undergoing surgeries using metal implants, Apollo Hospitals,
Chennai, has performed a spine
surgery on a six-year-old Tanzanian girl, Maureen Richard Shirima, using
bioresorbable screws.
Unlike the existing practice where metal alloy implants are used to join fractures, the new method uses bio-resorbable screws which will be broken down within the body. The patient need not undergo another surgery for the removal of bioresorbable parts.
. A patient, who got operated using bio-resorbable screws, would recover within three months, while a patient who undergoes the same surgery the conventional way would take double that time.
"Already, these screws are used in treating fractures of body parts other than spine. If Shirima was not operated now, the congenital anomaly of the spine might have paralaysed her," said Dr Sajan K Hegde, senior consultant spine surgeon, who performed the surgery.
Born in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, Shirima had been suffering from back pain since she was three-years-old. "I used to feel pain when I was playing. Now iam fine," said Shirima, a Class II student two. The surgery was performed three weeks ago and Shirima would fully recover within three months.
Shirima's father, Richard, is familar with India as he did his graduation in computer science between 1997-2001 in Mysore. Every year, nearly 500 patients from Tamzania visit hospitals in the country.
"Earlier, we used to treat our citizens in European countries and later in South Africa. However, due to high medical cost in these countries, we perfered India where our people get better treatment at low cost. The personnal care and expertise of Indian doctors is impressive," said Dr Stella Chale, medical Attache, high commission of Tanzania told TOI.
TNN 11 November 2009, 07:29am ISTPrint Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |
CHENNAI: In what holds hope for several patients undergoing surgeries using metal implants, Apollo Hospitals,
Chennai, has performed a spine
surgery on a six-year-old Tanzanian girl, Maureen Richard Shirima, using
bioresorbable screws.
Unlike the existing practice where metal alloy implants are used to join fractures, the new method uses bio-resorbable screws which will be broken down within the body. The patient need not undergo another surgery for the removal of bioresorbable parts.
. A patient, who got operated using bio-resorbable screws, would recover within three months, while a patient who undergoes the same surgery the conventional way would take double that time.
"Already, these screws are used in treating fractures of body parts other than spine. If Shirima was not operated now, the congenital anomaly of the spine might have paralaysed her," said Dr Sajan K Hegde, senior consultant spine surgeon, who performed the surgery.
Born in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, Shirima had been suffering from back pain since she was three-years-old. "I used to feel pain when I was playing. Now iam fine," said Shirima, a Class II student two. The surgery was performed three weeks ago and Shirima would fully recover within three months.
Shirima's father, Richard, is familar with India as he did his graduation in computer science between 1997-2001 in Mysore. Every year, nearly 500 patients from Tamzania visit hospitals in the country.
"Earlier, we used to treat our citizens in European countries and later in South Africa. However, due to high medical cost in these countries, we perfered India where our people get better treatment at low cost. The personnal care and expertise of Indian doctors is impressive," said Dr Stella Chale, medical Attache, high commission of Tanzania told TOI.
