A Kenyan child aged 10 years old is lucky to walk again after a special surgery she underwent in India saved her limb from amputation.
In a report carried out by an Indian media outlet on Thursday, June 9, doctors from Kims Hospital in India carried out a one-of-a-kind surgery known as limb salvage on Favor Elisha.
Elisha was flown to India’s Hyderabad Region for treatment after developing a cancerous tumor on her limb.
After a series of radiation and chemotherapy administration, the patient was facing amputation when the doctors decided to carry out a different type of surgery.
An illustration of a leg that has undergone Limb-Salvage surgery.
File The tumor on Elisha’s leg was removed alongside a healthy bone and an artificial one re-attached to the spot. The artificial bone will grow as the child grows.
According to Telangana Today, a media outlet in the Southern area of India, three doctors including Chief orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sailakshman Anne, orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Suresh Babu, and oncologist Dr Narendar Kumar Thota participated in the surgery.
Two weeks after undergoing the treatment, Elisha is able to walk and stand up.
According to Boston’s Children’s Hospital, the Limb Salvage Surgery is a surgical option for children with a malignant tumor in a long bone of their leg or arm.
It is effective in saving children’s limbs since it only involves the removal of the part of bone involved with the tumor which is then replaced with an implant.
The implant could either involve a bone graft or a metal prosthesis.
“The goal of limb-salvage surgery is to preserve as much of the limb as possible. However, the arm or leg will never be as strong as it was before surgery.
“Children who have this surgery will not be able to participate in high-impact sports using the affected limb,” cautions the hospital.
A well-set surgical room at a hospital.
File
