BAUCHI COMPLETES FIRST SPINE SURGERY

The first-ever spine surgery has been successfully done in Bauchi state, after surgeons operated on a young woman with a history of severe pain in her lower back.
Both her legs were affected by her condition,
said doctors who oversaw her surgery which
lasted two and half hours at Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa University Teaching Hospital on
Wednesday.
Dr Ahidjo Kawu, a spine surgeon at University
of Abuja Teaching Hospital who led the surgical
team, told Daily Trust: "The patient's post
operative condition is satisfactory and has
begun mobilization."
Previous scans using magnetic resonance
imaging confirmed defects in discs in the
patient's lumbar, he said.
A separate scan showed "instability" in the
14th and 15th discs on her spine, Dr Kawu
added.
Some three separate procedures were done to
fix the defective spine discs with screws.
Plans for the surgery took over one month
after ATBTH opened its spine surgery
programme, under direction of its chief
medical director, Dr Nura Alkali and with the
involvement of the hospital's medical advisory
council head.
Sources at the hospital said the medical firm
Spine and Scoliosis provided instrument and
trained staff who took part in the surgery.