Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has performed yet another innovative procedure that transformed a girl child’s life. Dr. Vijay Kishore Reddy and team successfully completed a corrective procedure on a 7-year-old girl who was affected by Discoid lateral meniscal tear, an abnormal condition in children.
Recognising the sudden changes in their daughter’s walking condition, the worried parents brought her to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai from Guwahati. The child, who was fine, started experiencing severe pain in the right knee, with difficulty in walking and restricted Right knee movements. She had difficulty in sitting down, climbing stairs and playing for the past several months due to severe pain in the knee. She was unable to carry on her day-to-day activities, and tests at Apollo Hospitals Chennai revealed that she was affected by Discoid Lateral Meniscal Tear. This abnormal condition is very rare in children.
The meniscus is a soft piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber to protect the knee. There are two of these C-shaped pads in each knee and they are crescent-shaped. A discoid meniscus is thicker than normal and has a different shape and texture. It is more likely to be injured than a normally shaped meniscus. Discoid meniscus may never cause injury in some people, but some people will face issues because of this condition, usually during childhood. While a discoid meniscus is present from birth, injuries can occur with twisting motions to the knee, usually during pivoting motion or changes in direction while playing sport.
Surgical treatment is often recommended for patients with this condition. The child underwent Arthroscopic lateral discoid Meniscus saucerization and repair which was done completely through keyhole procedure, with sophisticated instrumentation designed specifically for children.
Speaking about the revolutionary procedure, Dr. Vijay Kishore Reddy, Orthopedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Active children and teenagers sometimes can have structural injuries to their knees. The meniscus, which is a shock-absorbing cartilage in the knee, can tear; often these painful injuries are treated surgically, using a minimally-invasive procedure called arthroscopy. The surgeons repair or trim torn meniscus cartilages, which can relieve pain and cure the injury. In this case the child already had an abnormal discoid meniscus which had a tear. She is the youngest kid to have undergone a complete keyhole procedure for discoid meniscus in India. After seven months of misery, her parents saw their child walking effortlessly on the same day of surgery. When she was discharged on the next day, without any difficulty she walked through the hospital corridors all by herself.”
Ms. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said “Most of the orthopedic procedures are technically demanding procedures that should be performed by an experienced orthopedic surgeon in a medical center accustomed to performing arthroscopy at least several times a month. A trained surgical team and facilities specially designed for this type of procedure is crucial. At Apollo, we ensure that our patient receives the best treatment at all times. Our orthopedic department is at the forefront of providing the new and most innovative therapies alongside other internationally acclaimed healthcare institutions.”
Keyhole surgeries (Arthroscopy) in Orthopedics are changing the perspective of people towards surgeries. In the past the public were nervous to have surgery due to the prolonged hospital stay and recovery time. This has ended many patients’ sports careers and people kept on suffering from illness and its ailments. Compared to classical open surgeries, keyhole surgeries offer very small surgical wounds, less pain and less blood loss, along with faster recovery and healing. Patient can come to the hospital, get operated and walk back home all in one single day. Keyhole surgeries can be done for hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, wrist. Complete recovery to their previous life style without any scar is possible.
