A 6-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition that deforms his spine has benefited from a robotic operation. He can now sit down.
It is a world first that required a lot of work from surgeons. The children’s surgery department of the Amiens University Hospital (Somme) has successfully performed a robotic operation on the spine of a 6-year-old child suffering from severe scoliosis. The intervention took place on September 28.
Before D-Day, Drs François Derrousen, Richard Gouron and Michel Lefranc, as well as their teams, trained for over a year. During these long months, they simulated the operation on mannequins and 3D printed spines in order to test all possible scenarios.
A delicate operation
Hard and meticulous work because this surgical intervention is delicate. The young patient, Louis, has infantile spinal amyotrophy. A progressive genetic disease that causes muscle weakness interfered with his breathing and prevented him from sitting. He spent his days lying on his side. The corsets he had worn from an early age had become ineffective.
The only solution to relieve the little boy and slow down the progression of his scoliosis: the implantation of screws in his pelvis and hooks in the upper part of his spine. These metal rods must follow the growth of the child and do not block the vertebrae which can still grow, the CHU said in a statement.
Source: Radiography of Louis, CHU d’Amiens-Picardie
“Their installation near the nerve roots remains very complex and rare; they are bulky compared to the small size of the child’s bones (7mm diameter screws to be placed in an 8mm bone corridor) ”, added the establishment. The use of the robot has enabled surgeons to reduce the time of the intervention and the size of the incisions.
“It’s is a great victory”
About ten days after the operation, Louis is doing very well. Hospitalized in the rehabilitation service of the Picardy establishment, he breathes better and can now sit down and look his interlocutors in the eye. “This is a great victory”, rejoiced Dr. François Deroussen, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the origin of this project interviewed by France Blue Picardy.
In the coming months, four young patients will be able to benefit from this robotic operation at the Amiens University Hospital. Surgeons from other centers can also be trained and offer this intervention to their patients.
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