Woman walks again, thanks to bilateral surgery

Tabassum Barnagarwala : Mumbai, Thu Nov 07 2013, 01:55 hrs

In probably a first-of-its kind knee surgery in the country, a 43-year-old woman has regained her ability to walk after almost four years.
Ujwala Khatavkar has been suffering from osteoarthritis for the last four years now. "I could not walk, stand or sit on the floor for more than a minute. Several doctors prescribed medicines. But the pain was unbearable," she said.
She was advised to undergo knee replacement surgery. However, her case was a little different. "She had lost cartilage in the inner side of her knees. Since the whole of the knee was not affected, it was not wise to perform a total knee replacement surgery," said Dr Kaushal Malhan, orthopedic surgeon at Fortis hospital, Mulund.
In February, Khatavkar underwent microplasty uni-compartmental knee replacement — a surgical procedure to replace just a part of the knee.
While her right knee was partially replaced in February, the procedure was repeated in the other knee in March.
"While I still have to avoid sitting on the floor, I can walk and stand for longer than before without anybody's help. Also, the pain has reduced to a great extent," said Khatavkar. Malhan said this is probably the first such bilateral surgery in the country. "Total knee replacement is common. But in this case, we decided to replace only the affected portion," Malhan said.
A four-cm incision was made in the inner side of both her knees through microplasty, a surgical procedure which reduces the size of the incision required. "The surgery lasted for less than an hour. Through this method, the recovery period is fast. She was able to walk within three days," said Malhan.
tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com