New life at 16: back surgery for kypho-scoliosis "grows" by 15 centimetres
The disease had curved his spine 90 degrees. Doctors: "Natural position recovered, extraordinary but complex operation"Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
He is only 16 years old but what he is living at the moment can be defined to all intents and purposes as a "new life".
This is what happened to Vanessa (not her real name), an Italian girl suffering from a rare combined form of scoliosis and kyphosis . The disease, which led her back to bend 90 degrees , has caused her over the years not only debilitating pain but also a progressive limitation of the mobility of the column . Four months ago, last November, what many have defined as a real "miracle" took place: the patient left the operating room of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna after a 7-hour operation performed by the Vertebral Surgery directed by Dr. Alessandro Gasbarrini . And her back has returned to its natural position , increasing the girl's height by 15 centimeters and eliminating the causes of years of suffering. As Gasbarrini explained, the intervention was «complex and delicate.
During the surgery , a thoracic vertebrae was removed and screws and metal rods were inserted into nearby vertebrae to hold them in place. The removed vertebra was replaced with a titanium prosthesis » Upon arrival at the ward, after five days in post-operative intensive care, the 16-year-old was able to stand up: the rehabilitation process began immediately, and then continued at home. Today it's only two sessions a week, because Vanessa has recovered full functionality , thanks to the body that has become accustomed to the new anatomy of the back, while before being operated on, she was also struggling to wash her hair by herself.
« To undergo an operation like this in the United States of America you need more than a million dollars . It may seem incredible but we have seen the estimates made to our patients who, before arriving at Rizzoli, a public research hospital, turned to North American centers », commented the general manager of Rizzoli Anselmo Campagna .
(Unioneonline/vf)