A team of doctors in KMCH led by spine surgeon Dr. Sreedharan Namboothiri were successful in treating a 171 kg (377 pound) morbidly obese young man with major spine problems, through a complex spine surgery and exceptional team work. Geetha Ramanan, a 40-year-old software professional working in Bengaluru, had consulted KMCH earlier with suspicious lesions in lung and vertebral lesions and was diagnosed as having TB after an Endobronchial UltraSound (EBUS) test. He was advised surgery then but was not willing as he was afraid of the risks. He came back after a month with the complaints of inability to walk and inability to pass urine.
There were many challenges in treating such a morbidly obese patient. Transporting him required many people coordination. X- Rays will not give proper image. He could not be placed under an MRI machine. We did high resolution CT scan and found that two of the thoracic vertebrae were destroyed and spinal cord was severely compressed. He needed immediate surgery to save the spinal cord from permanent damage.
The destroyed vertebral body was replaced by Titanium cage. The patient had a progressive recovery of leg power in the post-operative period and was sent home in a weeks’ time. Appropriate anti TB medications continued and he recovered fully.
Speaking about this, Dr. Nalla G. Palaniswami, Chairman, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital said, “As demonstrated in the above mentioned case, KMCH has proven expertise in dealing with obesity related issues. Our hospital is equipped with state of the art medical facilities that effectively complement the efforts of our medical professionals.”