Complex Spine Surgery
Mr Lu Ton is specialised in the diagnoses and treatment of various complex spinal conditions from the skull to the tip of the Coccyx.
He has dealt with the most complicated cases in trauma, tumour of the spine and advanced degeneration. He has also dealt with cases of severe deformity inflicted by Arthritis, Scoliosis, Kyphosis, Spondylosis, Spondyolisthesis, Spondyloptosis and failed past surgery.
Complex spinal cases require complex spinal surgical techniques and instrumentation. Each individual case needs a unique approach. Below are some examples of cases that Mr Lu Ton has been involved in.
CASE STUDY 1
Severe deformity inflicted by severe past trauma and past surgery:
A patient was referred to Mr Ton suffering with severe spinal deformity after a car accident 20 years ago. She had surgery but was left with severe deformity to her spine. A large hump in the middle of her back continued to cause difficulty when standing and walking. After the complex spinal reconstruction surgery was performed by Mr Ton, the spine is now straight and the patient now has a normal posture and gait.
Below are the CT image and MRI scan prior to surgery. The vertebrae were broken and fused at an angle. On the MRI scan, the spinal cord had a big kink and was wrapped around the bones at the apex of the deformity.
At surgery, a complex 3 dimensional wedge of the bone was removed and the spine was re-aligned. The spinal cord was protected and the spine was held by titanium screws and rods.
The post-operative X-ray and CT confirm a straight spine. The patient now has a normal posture and gait, greatly improving her quality of life.
CASE STUDY 2
Paget disease of the spine where expansion of the diseased bone caused severe narrowing of the spinal canal leading to spinal cord and nerve root compression.
After surgery by Mr Ton, the diseased vertebra was removed and the spinal canal was widened to allow more space for the spinal cord, ending the pain and discomfort for the patient.
CASE STUDY 3
A case of acute trauma with fracture dislocation of the spine causing spinal cord injury and miraculous recovery.
This patient had a fall from a great height. He had severe neck pain and was unable to move his arms and legs after the injury.
The CT and MRI scan of the spine showed fracture dislocation of the spine at the junction between the neck (cervical spine) and the upper back (thoracic spine).
He had urgent surgery to correct the fracture dislocation and relieve the compression on the spinal cord.
Before surgery - dislocated spine & bruised spinal cord.
These are the X-rays of his neck after the surgery. The dislocation is reduced to anatomical alignment and is held with titanium screws and rods. Miraculously, he recovered nearly completely and now only has minor weakness with his fingers.
After surgery
CASE STUDY 4
A case of acute trauma with fracture dislocation of the spine causing spinal cord injury and miraculous recovery.
This patient has advanced arthritis of the spine. He had severe pain with turning his head. Anti-inflammatory helped with the pain but caused severe stomach reflux.
Before Surgery
The pain that he had suffered for years disappeared. He was warned about the reduction of rotation (turning head to look over the shoulder) after the surgery.
After surgery, he had no pain and surprisingly, he had reasonably functional movement of the neck.
After Surgery
