Limb salvage surgery in Dubai or limb-sparing surgery refers to the surgical procedure for treating bone cancer that generally spread from the neck to the hand or from the pelvis to the foot. It is one of the most common types of surgery for primary bone cancer or a soft tissue sarcoma, which involves removing the tumor without affecting the arm or leg. In case, your cancer has spread in another part of the body apart from the leg or arm, then it is known as metastatic or secondary bone cancer.
During the limb salvage surgery in Dubai, your doctor will remove the tumor containing an area of your bone and replace it with either a metal implant is known as prosthesis, or replacing the bone from another part of the body or a bone bank. If a whole bone or area near to its joint is affected due to the tumor, then your surgeon may replace it with an artificial one. Moreover, in special cases, the surgeon will take out the affected area of the bone to treat it with radiotherapy and after the treatment is completed, he may place it back at the respective place in your body.
Types of limb salvage surgery in Dubai
Limb salvage surgery involves reconstruction or replacement of the large segments of bone in your body. This can be performed using several options that are grouped into three categories including allograft bone replacement, tissue generation, a fusion of a joint, and reconstruction using metal parts (endoprosthesis).
Allograft bone replacement:
Allograft bone replacement surgery involves removing the tumor affected bone from the patient’s body and replacing it with a bone of another person who has died. These bones generally come from the person who has died and donated his organs and tissues as an altruistic gift. Before using the bone, donors are carefully tested for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis infection. In this type of surgery, the bones are rarely rejected because there are very few chances of the donor’s cells in the allograft to induce a reaction. However, there are several risks associated with allograft reconstruction including graft fracture, infections, and unsuccessful healing between the graft and the adjacent patient bone.
There are 10% chances of coming across these complications while performing an allograft bone replacement surgery. Although treatment of a fracture or a non-union can be performed successfully in case of an infected graft, the doctor might need to remove the allograft from your body.
Endoprosthesis
The limb salvage surgery in Dubai which requires reconstruction using a metal part is called endoprosthesis. This surgical method has revolutionized the field of limb salvage over the years. During the prostheses, the tumor affected a large segment of bone is removed along with the adjacent joint surface. This area is then reconstructed using the metal parts. In earlier times, the method of reconstruction using metal parts were custom-made. It required the surgeon to do preparation four to six weeks before the procedure. It also required precluding their use in urgent conditions. In the current scenario, there is immediate access to the prostheses. Moreover, the metal parts can also be implanted with or without the use of bone cement.
Tissue regeneration
Tissue regeneration is gained much popularity in recent times. In order to improve the result of limb salvage surgery in Dubai, new concepts of tissue engineering have now started to be applied to reconstructive surgeries. Tissue regeneration involves a combination of various materials such as a patient’s cells, purified protein growth factors, and synthetic matrix materials to regenerate the patient’s tissues. Moreover, your doctor can also transplant a bone in your body and make it grow up to one inch per month with the use of a special frame technique or Ilizarov.
The fusion of a joint
In some cases, the patient does not have enough muscle around a joint, due to which he is not able to have the mobility between the joints. In this situation, your surgeon will prefer to make your joint rigid by letting the ends of the joints heal together.
Risks associated with limb salvage surgery in Dubai
Like any other surgery, limb salvage also comes with some possible risks including:
Infection
Infection is a possible risk that can be developed with any bone surgery. People having chemotherapy are more likely to get infections. Your surgeon may provide you antibiotics during and after the surgery to help you reduce the risk of catching infections. In worse cases, the severe infection can result in breaking down the bone around the prosthesis and lead to its loosening and instability.
The only way to cure bone infection is to perform another surgery. For this, your doctor will need to replace the old prosthesis with a new one once the infection is completely gone. Around 75 out of 100 people are able to get rid of this bone infection after the surgery. However, those who are not cured after the second surgery will need to undergo amputation.
Other risks
There are other risks associated with limb salvage surgery in Dubai. Consult your doctor to know about them all.
