From 2 years of bedridden to 2 groundbreaking surgeries
In February 2022, an accident caused Ms. Ha (Nam Dinh) to break her femur, forcing her to be hospitalized and treated at a medical facility in Hanoi. Initially, everything seemed to go smoothly, and she was discharged with the assumption that the bone would heal over time.
However, after returning home, the sharp pain that penetrated to the bone continued to torment this woman, even when she was not moving. The pain, constant insomnia and helplessness from not being able to move on her own made her increasingly exhausted.
Ms. Ha then returned to the original medical facility in hopes of finding answers. However, after two follow-up visits, the doctor confirmed that the bone was healing well and no serious problems were found.
Contrary to the diagnosis, the pain persisted. After two years of living in pain and being unable to walk, Ms. Ha fell into a state of depression. “I even thought about death,” Ms. Ha shared.
Not satisfied with the diagnosis at the initial facility, Ms. Ha went to Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. Here, Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Dung - a leading expert in the field of orthopedics, directly examined and received the patient.
The diagnosis showed that the condition was much more serious than initially predicted. The patient had suffered from a deep, persistent infection, knee osteoarthritis, joint stiffness and necrosis, and complex bone deformities. Notably, the infection had progressed in the bone for two years, becoming the main cause of persistent pain, regardless of rest or movement.
Faced with this situation, the medical team led by Professor, Doctor, Doctor Tran Trung Dung ordered two surgeries for the patient.
The first surgery focused on completely removing the infection. Doctors had to remove almost the entire lower half of the nearly 25cm long femur, which had been deeply infected and caused necrosis and bone loss. At the same time, a block of antibiotic cement was temporarily placed to prevent muscle and tendon contraction. In the second surgery, the doctor replaced the bone defect with an artificial bone made of titanium alloy and replaced the patient's knee joint.
3D Technology: The Key to Medical Miracles
According to Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Dung, in the past, patients with such serious bone defects often had to face more than 3 major surgeries. To handle the problem, the two common methods applied were bone grafting from donated bone sources or from the patient's own body.
However, donor bone grafts face the risk of incompatibility or rejection over time. Bone grafts from the patient’s own fibula or pelvis can cause pain and have long-term effects on motor function at the site of bone removal. These methods also require the patient to be immobilized for a long time after surgery while the bone heals, with a high failure rate.
At Vinmec, 3D surgical planning and technology has become the solution for the most difficult surgeries. This technology not only accurately reproduces anatomical structures but also supports the team of doctors to predict risks and optimize the surgical process down to the last detail.
A typical example is the case of patient Ha, who had undergone multiple failed surgeries, causing the initial anatomical landmarks to be completely erased. However, thanks to the application of 3D technology, after only 2 surgeries, the team of doctors at Vinmec completely eliminated the source of infection and thoroughly resolved all problems related to the shape and function of the damaged knee joint. The breakthrough technology has given the patient the opportunity to fully recover the ability to walk.
The final result was like a miracle. Just 2 days after the surgery, the patient was able to start walking again. By the 10th day, Ms. Ha could not only bend her knee up to 100 degrees, but could also walk almost normally, without any assistance.
This result far exceeded all expectations, even better than many patients who had conventional knee replacements using previous methods. With such outstanding progress, doctors predicted that Ms. Ha would quickly return to normal life and be able to ride a bike and climb stairs after only two weeks.
“I thought I would never walk again, or worse, have to have my legs amputated. But Vinmec gave me a miracle,” Ms. Ha said emotionally.
