An 89-year-old patient, Mrs Man Maya Shrestha from Nepal underwent a successful spine surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. In the last three months, her condition aggravated to the extent that she could hardly walk or even sleep comfortably.

The patient visited the hospital with an extensive lower back pain radiating to both her lower limbs, which had afflicted her from past one year. The MRI and X-rays of her spine showed compression in her spinal cord. After further medical evaluation, she underwent an instrumented spinal fusion and spinal decompression. The surgery went on for two-and-a-half hours. Despite her age, she is recovering rapidly, and the symptoms of tingling and numbness in the leg have also reduced after the surgery. She can now walk comfortably.

"Worldwide, the population of elderly adults is increasing because of longer life expectancy. It is estimated that in the United States alone, the population of elderly adults (85) will increase by 400% by 2050. The population of centenarians is also projected to double every decade. This increase will inevitably be associated with a parallel increase in the number of musculoskeletal problems (like Arthritis and Spinal problems) requiring surgical treatment. But, the elderly adults are less willing to undergo the prescribed surgery for several reasons, such as ignorance, consideration of their old age, uncertainty about their life expectancy," said the head of General Anesthesia Dr Raju Vaishya at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.

Further the doctors also talked about how doctors or the patient’s family member’s shouldn’t be discouraged by the patient’s advanced age for considering surgery as a cure.

Source: https://goo.gl/6UjMHQ