Key Takeaways
- The 4‑year‑old boy with lipomyelomeningocele and Chiari malformation was saved after a fourth surgery at Hosmat Hospital.
- Three previous surgeries had failed, but a dedicated team led by Dr SR Patil succeeded in correcting the spinal issues.
- The successful procedure highlights the impact of advanced neurosurgical techniques and timely intervention in pediatric cases.
Bengaluru: One in a million cases at Hosmat Hospital saved a little boy, who faced the risk of paralysis by going for his fourth surgery after three unsuccessful operations.
The 4-year-old boy from West Bengal was born with a malformation in the brain and spine (lipomyelomeningocele with Chiari malformation).
There was visible swelling in the lower spine region at birth, which was painful for the mother to see and for the family to accept the child.
Mother had not undergone proper antenatal checkups. The child had undergone three surgeries at the age of 2 in a charitable hospital, but there was no reprieve for the family as the problem persisted. This child was refused treatment at many centres, and he was in severe agony with a headache.
One midnight, HOSMAT Neurosurgeon Dr SR Patil got a call from a known person with a request to manage the case. The patient was in extreme pain at the stroke of midnight.
After seeing the scans and reports, Dr Patil re-evaluated the child with an MRI and saw that previous problems recurred and persisted. But he took it as a challenge to set right past mistakes by other doctors.
As already three surgeries had been performed on the child, operating on a 4-year-old was not easy by any means. The child was at risk of losing power in both legs.
The family was counselled in detail, and help in financial aspects was sought from HOSMAT management.
After careful consideration and deliberations, three operations were to be performed to address the headache and spine issues, which were done with many challenges with advanced gadgets and intensive monitoring of the child.
The child is normal now and doesn’t complain of headaches or spine pain. The child is walking, running, and playing.
