Ahmedabad, Feb 24 || Seven children with severe spinal deformities underwent successful surgeries at the Government Spine Institute in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital during the second Indo-American Spine Surgery Camp.
The initiative, organised with support from the Gujarat government’s Health and Family Welfare Department, offered advanced treatment for conditions such as kyphoscoliosis, a rare disorder affecting one in 1,000 children globally.
Kyphoscoliosis is a serious condition in which the spine curves abnormally, often posing life-threatening risks and requiring complex corrective surgery.
Doctors at the camp described the procedures as highly intricate, typically lasting four to five hours, involving delicate work around major nerves and blood vessels.
Continuous neuro-monitoring during surgery was critical, with any error potentially resulting in severe injury or paralysis. An American neuro-monitoring team, along with anaesthesia specialists, assisted to ensure patient safety.
Financially, such procedures cost between Rs five and 10 lakh in private hospitals, but all surgeries at the Government Spine Institute were provided free of charge.
Among the patients was a nine-year-old child who underwent a ‘growing rod surgery’, designed to straighten the spine while accommodating future growth.