Ahmedabad: A tribal girl, who is just 18 years of age, received total hip replacement (THR) surgery after avascular necrosis (AVN) of the hip at Nutan General Hospital under the PMJAY scheme. Dr J P Modi, a spine surgeon and former medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that it was a rare surgery as the condition was caused by sickle cell anaemia.Dr Modi said that the girl, a resident of Virampur in Banaskantha, was suffering from the condition for 11 months. “She was first diagnosed with TB and her treatment started. Her condition, however, did not improve, after which she was sent to Nutan Medical College in Visnagar. She was then diagnosed with AVN of the hip that severely restricted her mobility,” he said, adding that sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder often passed down through generations.AVN of the hip is a rare disease where reduced blood flow to the femoral head causes bone tissue to die. According to Dr Modi, the condition is seen in one in 1,000 population. “In TB, generally one joint is affected, whereas here both the joints needed replacement. Due to her age, the surgery was challenging,” he added. The surgery was done for free, said Dr Modi, with the PMJAY scheme and trust at the medical college.
