A team of four neurosurgeons at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences has successfully performed a rare surgery on a 65-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with hernia of the spinal cord.
“The patient was operated on 15 years ago for a benign tumour in the coverings of the spinal cord. Following surgery he showed improvement. However a year back, he started developing progressive paraparesis with sensory loss in both lower limbs,” noted a release issued by the Institute authorities.
The patient was investigated with MRI, which according to the local doctors was normal as it did not show any tumour recurrence. However, his health continued to deteriorate.
“At AIIMS, a second MRI imaging showed a very rare condition, with his entire spinal cord practically herniating out of its covering (dura) through a small opening, causing deterioration. This is an extremely rare condition called hernia of the spinal cord. There are less than 10 cases reported world-wide,” noted the release.
The patient underwent surgery at AIIMS for this rare condition recently. During surgery, the covering of the cord was carefully cut under high magnification. The incision was made carefully around the herniated cord and this portion was then freed along with the spinal cord. Following this the dura was carefully repaired to avoid any further problems.
The patient is now well on his way to recovery.
