Rajkot: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rajkot has launched advanced spine surgery services after its orthopaedics department successfully performed its first complex lumbar spine surgery.The advanced surgery was carried out on a 78-year-old woman who had been suffering from severe lower back pain, persistent pain in both legs and weakness in her lower limbs for the past two years. Her condition had progressively worsened, leaving her unable to walk even short distances without severe pain and affecting her daily life.Following detailed clinical and radiological evaluations, doctors diagnosed her with lumbar canal stenosis, a condition in which narrowing of the spinal canal compresses the spinal nerves, leading to back pain, leg pain, numbness, weakness and difficulty in walking.According to AIIMS, the patient underwent a multi-level lumbar decompression with spinal fixation, a technically demanding procedure requiring specialised surgical expertise and close coordination among multiple medical teams.The surgery was led by Dr Kulbhushan Kamboj, head of the orthopaedics department.The institute said the patient made a remarkable recovery, beginning to walk independently on the fourth postoperative day. She was discharged on the 10th day after her condition stabilised.AIIMS stated that the introduction of advanced spine surgery services will improve access to specialised care for patients with complex spinal disorders across Saurashtra and other parts of Gujarat.The institute also plans to introduce minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgeries that use smaller incisions and may offer benefits such as reduced tissue damage, less postoperative pain, quicker recovery and shorter hospital stay.
