Living with gout for many years but being treated incorrectly, Mr. Ha Xuan Hieu, 39 years old, suffered severe knee joint injury, almost losing his ability to walk. After laparoscopic surgery and intensive treatment, he has been able to practice walking again.
According to doctors, the patient has had gout for many years but has not been treated according to the correct protocol. The disease silently progresses, causing the knee joint to be destroyed over time. After a motorbike accident, the condition becomes more severe, the joint is almost unable to contract and extend, walking, daily activities and labor are heavily affected.
Prolonged pain not only makes the patient physically tired but also disrupts life. Simple things like standing up, sitting down or walking around the house also become difficult.
During the time of enduring pain, instead of specialized treatment, patients apply some folk remedies themselves. However, the condition does not improve but becomes more severe, and inflammation in the joint progresses more seriously.
When coming for examination at the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (Linh Dam facility), University Medical Center Hospital - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the patient was diagnosed with complex lesions in the left knee joint. The joint was deformed, almost losing its flexion and extensor function.
Dr. Nguyen Huy Phuong, Head of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, University Medical Center Hospital - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said that the results of MRI showed that the patient had a partial tear in the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament and a tear in the peripheral cartilage. Notably, there are many urate crystals in the joint that have been deposited for a long time due to gout, causing synovitis and trapping the joint.
Doctors believe that if not intervened in time, patients are at risk of permanent joint cartilage destruction, and may even become disabled or have to have artificial joint replacements when young.
Faced with this situation, the treatment team prescribed endoscopic knee surgery to simultaneously treat internal joint lesions.
Through small skin incisions, the doctor approached the entire knee joint structure. Endoscopic images showed many cloudy white urate crystals densely attached to the joint cavity, causing severe inflammation and hindering movement.
During the surgery, doctors dredged the urate deposited tissues, removed the inflamed synovial membrane, treated outer cartilage damage and cleaned the joint cavity. The goal is to reduce inflammation, release joint blockage, and at the same time preserve the maximum natural joint for the patient.
According to the treatment team, intervention not only helps treat the current injury but also contributes to reducing the risk of having to replace the artificial joint too early.
After surgery, the patient's pain condition clearly decreased. Right from the second day, the patient was able to practice walking again with the support of medical staff.
Also according to Dr. Nguyen Huy Phuong, this result was achieved thanks to the combination of surgery and medical treatment to control gout and functional rehabilitation methodically. However, to maintain long-term effectiveness, patients need to adhere to treatment, control blood uric acid levels and change lifestyles.
