Bengaluru teen with severe scoliosis regains normal life after advanced robotic spine surgery

Bengaluru, Aug 20 (PTI) Just six months ago, 17-year-old Sajiya Aiman’s life was weighed down by adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, a severe spinal curvature that left one hip jutting out and made even simple movements painful.

“It impacted the way I stood and moved. As I grew older, my hip became more visibly lopsided. I started cutting down on social interactions and felt extremely depressed,” said Aiman, a resident of HBR Layout.

When the pain became unbearable about four months ago, her parents sought treatment at Narayana Health City (NHC), Bengaluru, where spine surgeons leveraged state-of-the-art technology to perform a complex corrective surgery.

Doctors used a combination of Spine Robot, O-arm intraoperative imaging and neuromonitoring to realign her spine.

“My life took a drastic turn. I can now sit comfortably, stand for long hours without pain, and even walked the ramp at a fashion show in my college—something I never imagined I could do,” said the second-year PUC student.

Aiman’s case was among those presented by NHC spine surgeons on Wednesday to showcase the impact of advanced technologies in improving surgical outcomes.

Explaining the procedure, Dr Shashidhar B K, Consultant Spine Surgeon at NHC, said, “She had an imbalance at the truncal level that shifted her body to one side. We corrected the curve in the lower part, bringing the trunk into a more neutral alignment.” According to Prof Arun Ranganathan, Director of Orthopaedics, Spine Surgery and Trauma at NHC, the combined use of robotic guidance, real-time 3D imaging and neuromonitoring ensures “99.9 per cent safety” during such complex procedures.

He cited the case of another teenager, Usha H M from Ballari, who was paralysed in her legs due to spinal tuberculosis. Conventional methods posed a high risk of spinal cord injury, but O-arm imaging allowed surgeons to operate with precision.

“The technology helped us accurately identify the spine and bone structure, and precisely place the screws to stabilise her spine,” he said.

Doctors also highlighted the case of 34-year-old Venkoba from Koppal, who suffered from a rare Brucella infection of the spinal discs that left him with severe back pain.

“The infection was highly resistant to the standard treatment he was receiving, so we treated him using the O-arm and Spine Robot,” said Vinu Raj, Consultant, Spine Surgery, NHC. PTI JR SSK