Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Nov 12: “The artificial cervical disc replacement conducted on Keith D’Souza, a 47-year-old marine engineer from Mangalore, by Dr Jacob Chacko, a leading spine surgeon of Father Muller’s Medical College, has brought laurels to the institution”, said Fr Richard Coelho, administrator of FMMC, here at a press conference held on Saturday November 10.
He detailed Keith was suffering severe neck pain for several months, along with numbness, weakness and pain in his left arm that made him unable to lead normal life. Adding to this, constant stiffness in his neck was taking a toll on his eyesight as well.
Dr Chacko diagnosed him with a C6-C7 generated disc with Myeloradicuopathy, a condition where the discs in the patient’s spinal cord break open or bulge out, putting pressure on the spine or nerve roots. The intervertebral discs in the spine, which act as natural shock absorbers at times get worn out and degenerate due to factors such as age, poor posture, spinal injury, nutritional deficiency etc. Considering Keith’s age and active lifestyle, Dr Chacko decided to perform an Artificial Cervical Disc replacement procedure – a first of its kind procedure in Mangalore.
Artificial cervical disc replacement is a new-age procedure, which replaces the old diseased disc with a mobile metal disc. Therefore, in addition to the pain relief, the patient retains the mobility of his neck and can lead a long active healthy and pain-free lifestyle. After an artificial cervical disc replacement, patient will recover quickly and can discharge from the hospital within 3-4 days after surgery, he said. The approximate cost of the surgery is Rs 2.5 lac, he added.
Dr Chacko informed that the surgery may not be advised for patients with conditions like local infection and inflammation, pregnancy, morbid obesity, fever, mental illness, joint diseases like osteoporosis, and pediatric cases and so on. He stressed that only a doctor can determine a suitable candidate for this treatment.
Dr Sanjiva Rai, Dr Madhukar were present during the press meet.