Doctors in Kolkata conduct successful spinal tuberculosis surgery on pregnant woman  

Doctors in Kolkata conduct successful spinal tuberculosis surgery on pregnant woman  

A team of Kolkata-based doctors conducted a successful spinal tuberculosis surgery on a pregnant woman in her third trimester. The surgery, conducted at the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) was a high-risk procedure, doctors said.

The 25-year-old mother to be, first began experiencing numbness in her lower body, with reduced mobility and acute pain. Medical examinations revealed that she had spinal TB, and her fifth and sixth dorsal spinal vertebrae had collapsed, compressing her spinal cord and threatening to permanently render her paraplegic. 

A multi-disciplinary team, led by Kolkata-based neurosurgeon Rathijit Mitra performed the operation on the patient for over six hours in mid-December. The team had to ensure the safety of not only the mother but also the foetus.

Dr. Mitra told The Hindu that their team faced multiple challenges while operating on the patient. “Due to her pregnancy we could not use X-rays, which we would have normally, as they would put the baby at risk. We also could not lay her on her chest, which complicated the operation. We had to lay her on her left side and a thoracotomy (a cut made between the ribs to reach the chest) was done on her right side to gain access to the spine through her chest cavity retracting her right lung.” 

Once the doctors had gained access to the spine, they used a bone scalpel to remove the diseased part of the spine. An implant was then placed to fill the gap and fixed with screws.

The doctor said that because the patient was five months pregnant, everyone attributed her back pain to her pregnancy. But when her mobility was compromised and she became bedridden, medical attention was sought.

According to last reports in January, the woman and her unborn child are both healthy and the woman has faced no major mobility issues since.