Children Action, Hanoi's Hospital Provide Surgeries for Children with Spine, Limb Defects

After five years of continuous cooperation between Orthopedic Department of Saint Paul General Hospital and Children Action, hundreds of children with musculoskeletal deformities have had correction surgeries which help them escape from abnormalities. The 5th surgery has just been completed in June, bringing new life to almost 20 children in Vietnam.

Experts from the Children Action Foundation and doctors of Hanoi-based Xanh Pon Hospital are providing check-ups for children with congenital musculoskeletal disorders. Source: Nguyen Thuong

A boy once had complications after a cast, causing his whole leg to be deformed. It took him 9 years to regain his normal walking gait like other children, thanks to experts from the Children Action Foundation and doctors of St Paul Hospital.

According to information from St Paul Hospital, 12-year-old patient L.H.D live in Can Tho City, has just undergone surgery to restore normal walking ability (gait) without a walking aide. His leg was damaged after a fall 9 years ago.

At that time, D suffered an injury and broke his ankle and was cast. But later, D suffered cast-related complication, which led to ulceration and infection of the bundle. If this complication is bundled and well taken care of, the infection will clear and recover gradually. But due to lack of attention and good care, the ulcer has led to inflammation of the bones, loss of the inner ankle, and the whole leg is deformed because the ankle is the component that stabilizes the ankle.

After that, D underwent operations for several times, including one time was operated by talectomy method by removing the talus at the ankle to correct the axis. After the surgery, because the ankle still dissolves and has nothing the inside, the leg is still misaligned and unstable.

L.H.D patient's leg before and after surgery. Source: Saint Paul General Hospital

According to doctors, once the talus has been surgically removed, the center of the ankle and leg is unstable, it is very difficult to reshape it because the child patient has 4-5 years left to grow up.

Recently, D was taken to St Paul Hospital for examination and surgery by Dr. Jorge Knörr Giménez from Children Action and doctor Nguyen Thanh Trung, Orthopedic Trauma Center.

Dr. Gorge used the method of fibula excision and reconstruction of the medial ankle for D, making the ankle more stable and without internal scarring.

Trung shared that this is a very special surgical method, although it is not difficult, but it is the most possible method. The results immediately after surgery are very positive, his foot has straight axis and no longer inwardly crooked and anatomically well-restored.

Many children from far away (Quang Binh, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Mong Cai - Quang Ninh provinces) came to the program for the first time. Source: Saint Paul General Hospital

Successful surgeries for 18 children

Launched in 2018, the programme on paediatric orthopaedics cooperation between the Vietnamese hospital and Children Action has benefited over 300 children.

Each year, Children Action sends experts from countries experienced in paediatric orthopaedics like France, Switzerland and Spain to Vietnam, to join hands with their local doctors to help more than 10,000 Vietnamese children escape from abnormalities.

During four consecutive days in early this month at Saint Paul Hospital, a team of experts from Children Action has examined and consulted for 112 children with spine and limb defects. Of which 18 difficult cases were operated, especially 5 cases of severe scoliosis and 4 cases of bone cancer underwent limb-conserving surgery.

The cooperation between St Paul Hospital and Children Action every year has brought the opportunity to get rid of disability for many Vietnamese children with more than 200 difficult cases who have been successfully operated on.

Doctor Nguyen Trong Quynh, head of the hospital's Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma Center, shared that the hospital will continue to cooperate with foreign experts and organizations to bring more opportunities to get rid of disabilities.

This coming August, the hospital will continue to welcome Dr. Francisco Soldado, a Spanish specialist in orthopedic microsurgery to examine and operate on pediatric patients suffering from hand deformities and needing surgery. microsurgery.

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