Medical experts at Tam Anh General Hospital based in Hanoi performed the artificial talus replacement surgery on Bui Thi H. (aged 52, from Gia Lai Province) on March 11.
H. suffered a right ankle injury due to a motorcycle accident six years ago. The aftermath caused her talus to be broken into many pieces. She had a surgery but the fracture led to the degeneration and deformation of her ankle bone. Since then, her life has been associated with painkillers.
Doctors at the Centre for Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, Tam Anh Hospital, found that this was an extremely complicated case of traumatic sequelae. The problem to be solved was how to both eliminate the pain and help the patient walk normally as before.
According to doctor Vu Tu Nam, talus has limited blood supply, so it is difficult for the bone to heal when injured. If the patient has a broken talus, there is a high risk that the bone will become necrotic and lose its support function.
Previously, the treatment of talus necrosis was to remove the bone and solder the remaining joints of the ankle into a single mass for the purpose of pain relief. The cost of this method is that the patient will completely lose the ability to move the ankle and will be unable to move normally.
In the case of H., Professor, Dr. Tran Trung Dung, in charge of Centre for Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, revealed that the solution they offered is to remove the broken bone and replace the talus completely with a new one made from biocompatible artificial material, while at the same time retaining the other motor structures of the ankle.
The patient is walking just 24 hours after the surgery.
The artificial talus made by 3D printing technology on titanium alloy material with the joint surface made of polyethylene. The bone was specially designed according to the anatomical index of H, so it looks like a healthy bone. In addition, during the surgery, the team used the Artis Pheno positioning robot system to place the bone in the optimal position.
Unlike other conventional hip and knee replacement surgeries, the replacement of artificial talus is much more difficult because the shape of the bone is very complex and it must be ensured that the new artificial bone is placed in the correct position so that fits perfectly with the other bones in the ankle. Only a slight deviation in the placement position can cause the joint to be skewed and the patient will not be able to walk.
To meet these rigorous requirements, experts had to study, print and adjust parameters many times to complete the most perfect artificial talus design for the surgery.
After the complicated operation, which lasted nearly three hours, for the first time H. was able to move her ankle without feeling entangled or in pain. She began to practice walking just 24 hours after the surgery and is expected to be discharged in the next few days.
The success of the first artificial talus replacement in Vietnam marks a new step in the field of musculoskeletal treatment, opening up new hope for those with degenerative diseases or chronic ankle pain.
