5-year-old boy recovering from rare malady

Mumbai: A five-year-old Walkesh-war boy, suffering from CVJ anomalies —Atlanto-Axial Disloca-tion — because of which his lower limbs had become immobile, was successfully operated on at the civic-run Nair hospital by the neurosurgery department, and is now showing signs of recovery. According to sources, this is the first such case received by the hospital.  

Tanay’s parents started noticing that he was unable to sit, stand or walk normally. When his situation worsened he was rushed to the hospital. After several check-ups and medical investigations it was revealed that he needed vertebral surgery with rods and screws to balance his vertebral structure.

Dean of the Nair Hospital Dr Ramesh Bharmal said, “The surgery is complicated, especially for a five-year-old child. After evaluation, we found that the pressure on the connecting system between the brain and the vertebrae had deteriorated, affecting mobility.”

Dr Bharmal added, “Looking at his deteriorating health, Tanay’s father Mangesh Jadhav (42) suffered a stroke in the hospital. We rushed him to the intensive care unit (ICU). Both father and son are recuperating.”

Through the surgery, the pressure on the vertebrae was reduced by increasing the gap between vertebrae ‘C1 and C2’ with screws and rods. This enabled Tanay to regain strength to walk. The hospital bore the cost of the surgery. At a private hospital it would have cost at least Rs 20 lakh.

The family was worried when Tanay was admitted to the hospital, leading to his father’s stroke.