Iraqi girl undergoes surgery for rare disorder

New Delhi: A 16-year-old Iraqi girl, suffering from a rare genetic bone growth disorder, was treated successfully at an NCR hospital. The girl was completely bedridden since birth. Her body was curled up in the foetal position, with her knees bent at 90 degree and her body angled at 45 degree towards the ground.

Sajida Sallal Hatem was born with spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia (SED), a rare genetic bone growth disorder that results in short stature and skeletal ab-normalities. It primarily affects the spine and long bones of the arms and legs. After complicated hip and knee corrective realignment surgeries at Jaypee Hospital in Noida, she is now able to stand and walk on her own.

“When I first met Sajida in 2016 her body was in the foetal position, where her back was curved, the head was bo-wed, and the limbs were bent and drawn up to the torso. The patient was suffering from multiple congenital and developmental problems with bilateral knee contracture (bent knees) and high developmental dysplasia hip,” said Dr Gaurav Rathore, the associate director of Institute of Orthopae-dics. In 2010, she underwent knee surgery in Iraq as her knees were bent at 90 degree and not strong enough to take the pressure of her body.

Owing to lack of proper medical facilities and expertise, the surgery was unsuccessful. It further worsened her condition and restricted her mobility, leaving her completely bedridden.

“After proper evaluation of her reports and considering her tender age, we decided to operate her in two stages. In the first stage we decided to perform the knee surgery called supracondylar osteotomies to correct the valgus knee and straighten it to allow her to stand on her legs and walk,” said an-other doctor involved in the surgery.

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