Regenerating legs for patients with severe bone defects in the lower legs

Military Hospital 175 has just successfully performed a special surgery to help a 20-year-old patient regain healthy legs after many years of pain due to a severe bone defect in his lower leg.

Doctor examines patient after surgery.

Doctors at Military Hospital 175 said that patient VTL had an accident that left him with two open fractures in his left tibia. Despite being treated many times, due to a prolonged infection, the tibia was missing 8cm, making it very difficult for him to walk.

After receiving the patient, the team of doctors Than Van Hung, Deputy Head of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Institute of Trauma and Orthopedics, performed a five-hour surgery to transfer the free skin-tendon-fibula flap, consisting of two parallel surgical teams: One surgical team created the free flap from the opposite leg and one team exposed the blood vessels at the flap receiving site.

Doctors removed the damaged bone and took a piece of healthy bone from the other leg to transfer, connect the blood vessels and fix it firmly.

Location of bone defect on the patient's left leg.

As a result, after only two weeks, the flap area recovered well, blood circulation was good, X-ray images showed straight bones , and the length of both legs was equal. The patient recovered well, had normal activities, and had no post-operative complications.

Dr. Hung said: “This is one of the most advanced techniques in the field of plastic surgery, not only helping to compensate for missing bones, cover the damaged soft tissue, but also increase blood circulation to the damaged area, improve infection and help patients recover quickly, return to normal life and work.”

The flap site on the patient's left leg recovered well after surgery.

Colonel, PhD, Doctor Phan Dinh Mung, Deputy Director of Military Hospital 175 emphasized: “If severe bone defects are not treated properly, they can lead to amputation. This success is a joy for the patient and his family, and also demonstrates the continuous progress of the military medical team.”

Currently, Military Hospital 175 has mastered many difficult, high-level techniques such as free fibula flap transfer, free groin flap transfer, free anterior lateral thigh flap, tissue expander flap transfer... in treating patients with a high success rate.

KHANG ANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hoi-sinh-doi-chan-cho-benh-nhan-bi-khuet-xuong-nang-o-cang-chan-post917568.html