Neurosurgeons at Sri Ramachandra Hospital have helped a teenager with cerebral palsy gain use of her lower limbs.
The 13-year-old spastic child, who developed the condition post-birth, had developed stiffness in her legs, leaving her wheel-chair bound and requiring assistance for her daily activities.
Even turning in the bed became difficult for her. Physiotherapy did not help much either.
The family consulted senior neurosurgeon K. Visvanathan, who advised selective dorsal rhizotomy to relieve stiffness of the limbs.
On December 28, the girl underwent surgery, done using neuromonitoring to identify motor and sensory roots emerging from the spinal cord.
A team of doctors comprising Dr. Visvanathan, neuroanaesthetist Manjunatha, consultant paediatric neurlogist and neurophysiologist Ranjith Kumar performed a surgery to stimulate the sensory roots and cut the pathological ones.
The girl was discharged five days after surgery. She is now able to sit cross legged on the floor and can manage her daily routines.
Since her father is a State government employee, the surgery was covered under the State’s new health insurance scheme for its employees.
