Abu Dhabi: A tumour from a patient’s spine was successfully removed in a first-of-its-kind surgery conducted in Tawam Hospital in Al Ain.
The 33-year-old male patient had a tumour in the spine located in one of the vertebrae, according to a press release issued by the hospital.
The surgery allows for a resection of the tumour in one piece, with a low recurrence rate, improving patients’ long-term survival.
The patient has undergone two phases of surgery, in which the first phase secured the upper and lower parts of the patient’s back to remove the bone layer affected by the tumour; the bone was stabilised with metal screws.
The second phase led by the thoracic surgery team required a surgery through the chest area, where the whole vertebrae was removed and replaced with a metal part.
“The resection procedure is very delicate, but we performed it to save our patient’s life. It requires precision to stabilise the spine and ease the patient’s pain,” said Dr Syed Kabir, consultant neurosurgeon.
