Surgery done to treat brittle bones

Orthopaedic Surgeon at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital S. Dhandapani (second left) explains on Friday the surgery done on D. Prashanth (second right) to treat the brittle bones disease. Medical Superintendent A. Mathivanan (left) and Resident Medical Officer P. Sivaprakasam (right) are in the picture. Photo:M. Periasamy.

Orthopaedic surgeons at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital have performed a surgery in the legs of a 14-year-old boy to treat him for osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that turns bones brittle.

Collagen defect

S. Dhandapani who led the team of surgeons, said on Friday that D. Prashanth, son of a daily wage earner at Modachur in Erode District, had been operated twice earlier for bent thigh bones. Yet, he could not stand or walk over the last eight years because of this problem.

A collagen defect caused this problem. Children affected by this disorder very vulnerable to fractures. Some children might even have a soft skull.

Weak bones

Owing to weak bones, the legs would acquire the shape of a bow when the affected children began to walk.

An osteotomy (surgery to straighten the bone) was done at the CMCH and rods implanted to keep the leg straight.