Rare Back Surgery Performed in India

Tagged: India, Medical Tourism

An American national has successfully undergone a rare back surgery in India wherein four of his backbone discs were replaced in a single procedure. The Indian doctors who performed the procedure claim that this is a first in Asia. The operation was performed by a team of spinal surgeons. The team was headed by Harshavardhan Hegde. The marathon operation involving the replacement of two discs in the neck and two in the lower back lasted over eight hours.

The American patient is a construction worker named Kim Busk. Busk underwent surgery at the Artemis Health Institute last July 31. The Artemis Health institute is a specialty hospital in Gurgaon, India. Kim Busk has been suffering from disc degradation in the past ten years. The disc is the soft cushion between the vertebras in the spine. The disc serves as cushion and shock absorber for the backbone. When the disc degrades, the patient experiences pain in the back, neck, legs and hands.

According to the leader of the team, Dr. Hasvarshavardhan Hegde, the surgery is tricky and unique. The doctors are not aware of the same type of surgery being performed elsewhere in Asia. The surgery is unique because it is a two-level disc replacement surgery- from the upper part and the lower part. This is not performed regularly because it involves precision and there are risks and complications involved.

The surgery requires precision and utmost care. Hegde explained: “In two-level cervical disc replacement you not only have to open the vertebral column but also have to protect the food pipe during surgery.”