Record intervention at Rizzoli in Bologna: the specialists of the orthopedic institute managed, for the first time, to treat a kyphosis (i.e. the forward curvature of the spine) of 100 degrees. A malformation that forced the patient, a 54-year-old woman, into a wheelchair.
To bring the back straight, Rizzoli’s doctors had to remove two non-contiguous thoracic vertebrae, thus resolving a serious malformation that was considered inoperable until now. After the surgery, and a short period in intensive care, the woman was back on her feet after seven days and began the rehabilitation process to start walking again.
Ankle reconstructed in 3D at Rizzoli, as the intervention took place
Kyphosis, which prevented the woman from standing or walking, was caused by a pathological fusion (ankylosis) of five thoracic vertebrae. The numerous previous operations had not served to improve the condition of the 54-year-old, who was considered no longer operable due to the high risk of injury to the spinal cord, imprisoned in the thus curved spine.
The surgery, the only one of its kind, lasted about eight hours and was performed by the team of Cesare Faldini, director of the Rizzoli orthopedic clinic 1, flanked by anesthesiologists, resuscitators, neurophysiologists and nurses.
For the operation a 3D technique was used to have a model of the deformed column starting from the patient’s CT scan, in order to better plan the removal of the two vertebrae and guide the surgeons without injuring the spinal cord, with a corrective movement. over 90 degrees in a single operation.
On the basis of the tac, 12 masks were also designed, always built with 3D printing, which allowed to apply the screws in the vertebrae. “A result that was unthinkable until now – admits Faldini – obtained by combining Rizzoli’s orthopedic research tradition with highly innovative techniques, to offer the possibility of surgical correction to those rare scoliosis and kyphosis that until now were considered inoperable due to their severity”.
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These are rare situations, the professor specifies, but “seriously crippling for patients. If the spine deforms over 90 degrees, that is, it makes a right angle, it becomes horizontal from vertical, making it impossible to stand up and have an acceptable relationship life. . These patients, despite having an intact spinal cord, have voluntary control of the legs but are unable to use them and are forced to sit due to the shape of their spine “.
The simultaneous removal of several vertebrae to realign the spine “is a significant step forward – continues Faldini – as it offers a solution to correct kyphosis and scoliosis of a very serious entity that cannot be faced with alternative techniques. In this context, the fame of the rizzoli institute far exceeds national borders: the prestigious American magazine Newsweek placed us in 11th place among the excellent orthopedics in the world and at research level a ‘simplified preview’ of this procedure, presented in the united states at the prestigious ‘american academy of orthopedic surgeons’ in 2020, was awarded as best scientific work in the ‘field of vertebral surgery “.
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