What is Limb Salvage Surgery

Limb Salvage Surgery is a technique used to replace a damaged bone in the body by and artificially grafted metal implants, bone grafts from another person. The surgery has proved to be extremely helpful in case of patients suffering from bone cancer. The leading doctors recommend limb salvage surgery for bone tumour treatment in india. Even surgeons hailing from BLK Hospital, which is one of the top most hospitals for cancer treatment in India, tend to perform limb salvage surgery in bone tumor patients.

 Limb salvage surgery aims at removing the tumor by causing minimal damage to the adjacent bones and joints. Limb salvage surgery not only proves beneficial for bone cancer patients but also prove helpful in case of severe limb injuries caused by an accident. In such cases where limb amputation is the only option left, limb salvage surgery has proved to be a saviour. Bones are extremely important for our stability. In case the bone in the lower body is affected the person might lose his stability or even his ability to move. Limb salvage surgery aims at avoiding such problems. 

Bone cancer is a medical condition caused by the accumulation of malignant cells bone inside the bone that highly effects the health of the bones and can prove to be very fatal if not treated on time. Bone cancer can highly effect a person's ability to walk or move and can cause permanent physical impairment. Although bone cancer is not as common as blood cancer but the effects are very drastic and can adversely affect the patient. Bone cancer can be both primary or secondary. Primary cancer is the one in which tumor formation takes place on the bone itself whereas secondary cancer is a result of metastasis and spreads from some other organ to the bone. One of the major concern of bone cancer patients is limb amputation, which is the cutting down of the affected limb as the bones have become damaged and cannot be repaired. The only way of saving the limb of such a person is Limb Salvage Surgery.  In case of limb salvage surgery, the bone is replaced with metallic grafts that are created very precisely by specialists.

Before the procedure it is very important to determine whether the patient is eligible for bone  surgery or not. The doctors may conduct a number of screenings and tests to determine whether the procedure is suitable for the patient and once the patient qualifies the patient is given all the necessary information about the procedure including the risks and benefits. It is up to the patient to decide whether he wants to undergo the treatment or not. The procedure is not compulsory and the patient can choose to get his limbs amputed instead.

 After the procedure the patient needs to take complete bed rest and is kept under medical supervision for at least 10 days. X-rays are taken so as to monitor the affected limb. The patient may also be prescribed certain anti-inflammatory medicines so as to avoid any kind of swelling and inflammation.

source: blkhospital.qa/readmore-subject-What_is_Limb_Salvage_Surgery-id-8.php