The Hindu : New Delhi News : Apollo doctors help bed-ridden patient walk again

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Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
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New Delhi

Apollo doctors help bed-ridden patient walk again

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here have performed a “unique” operation, helping a bed-ridden chronic back pain patient to walk again.

Senior Consultant and Neurosurgeon at Apollo Hospital, Dr. Rajendra Prasad said: “Somnath Hans, a Railway Office Superintendent, had come to us complaining of severe back pain and inability to walk. After his operation he had relief for some time but returned with a severe back pain and numbness in the legs. For him we were reaching the end of the road so far as treatment options were concerned.”

Permanent stimulator

“We then decided on permanent implantation of the spinal cord stimulator with rechargeable batteries. Spinal cord stimulator may be an answer for some patients of ‘failed back syndrome’ and other pain syndromes, in whom all modalities of treatment including several surgeries have failed,” added Dr. Prasad.

According to Dr. Prasad, the benefit of the rechargeable system is that it avoids the need for a re-operation five years later to change the batteries. Other implants including cardiac pacemakers also have a limited battery life after which surgery to change the batteries has to be performed.

This system allows an external system to recharge the batteries without further surgery, and should last for the rest of the patient’s life.

Pain specialist at Apollo Hospital, Dr. K. J. Choudhury said: “Neuro-modulation is a system of electrically altering the signal transmission (pain message) in the nervous system by implanted devices. Based on the excellent outcome of the trial stimulation, permanent implantation of the spinal cord stimulator was decided for the patient with the help of a rechargeable system.”

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