Rare hip reconstruction surgery performed

Doctors at the Government Hospital at Viralimalai performed a rare hip reconstruction surgery on a 5-year-old girl on Sunday.

Piriya Darshini, daughter of Karupusami of Kalmettu street of Srirangam, born with agenesis of the hip joint had been experiencing acute pain while walking and running. Her parents took her to the Government Hospital in Srirangam about four years ago. She was subsequently diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia on the right side. After visiting a couple of leading government and private hospitals in the State, Mr. Karupusami admitted his daughter at Viralimalai Sub Taluk GH a few days ago, where a team of doctors led by John M. Viswanath, Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon, performed the hip reconstruction surgery with the support of iliac bone and the bone graft harvested from her. It took seven hours for the doctors to complete the complex surgery.

“The post operative tests show good signs of recovery. The patient needs six weeks for complete recovery and thereafter, she will have no issue in walking, running and squatting,” says Dr. Viswanath.

C. Bharanidharan, grandfather of Darshini, said that a leading private hospital had estimated that the surgery would cost ₹4 to ₹6 lakh. Her parents, daily wage labourers, could not afford it. He admitted the girl to the Viralimalai GH upon a feedback provided by a patient about the committed team of doctors. She had been operated free of cost and she was recuperating well, he said.