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In a first, Safdarjung Hospital’s Sports Injury Centre in Delhi has conducted a highly advanced ankle ligament surgery through a keyhole arthroscopy technique.
According to Dr Davinder Singh, director-professor at the centre, this is the first time such a surgery has been conducted in North India. “Earlier, this kind of surgery has happened only in Chennai and Mumbai, and nowhere else in the country,” he added.
The operation was conducted by a team of doctors led by Dr Singh, who said that the first patient operated through this technique in August recovered in six weeks and resumed his sports activities.
“The patient, a sports enthusiast, had a complete tear of lateral ankle ligaments. The team of doctors used the latest arthroscopy equipment as the conventional arthroscopy system had a relatively larger probe, making it difficult to access smaller joints surrounded by tendons, blood vessels and nerves,” he said.
Dr Singh added that usually the patients take six months to recover as an open procedure is a time-consuming process where big incisions are made in the ankle. This minimal, scarless procedure was completed within an hour and the patient was discharged the very next day, he said.
According to Dr Singh, an ankle sprain, also known as a twisted ankle, is an injury where sprains occur on one or more ligaments of the ankle.
“Outer side ligaments technically known as lateral ankle ligaments tears are the most common injuries in sports. In most cases of lateral ligament injury, approximately 80–90% of patients can be treated by plaster or a brace. However, about 10 to 20% require surgical ligament repair,” said Dr Singh.
Earlier, open surgical procedures were the only available methods to treat the torn ligaments. These open surgery treatments require one or more long incisions that can lead to cutting of tissue and skin. This may result in a high rate of complications like stiffness, pain, nerve injuries and late comeback to sports due to which athletes often miss chances to compete at higher levels.
“On the other hand, an all-arthroscopic procedure offers advantages of less pain, less tissue dissection and quicker recovery with excellent functional results,” said Dr Singh.
The latest advanced system with a 2.7 mm scope provided easy access to the joint and resulted in a minimally invasive procedure with two or three stitches.
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