Neurosurgeons in Saratov Remove Shrapnel from Soldier's Spinal Cord
Surgeons from the Saratov State Medical University named after V. I. Razumovsky (SSMU) performed a highly complex operation to extract a metal fragment from the spinal cord. The patient was a 24-year-old participant in the special military operation.
According to the press service of SSMU, the soldier sustained a multi-fragment gunshot wound to the spine, pelvis, and limbs while carrying out a task in the Donbas region. During initial diagnosis at military hospitals, a metal fragment was discovered lodged in the spinal canal in the area of the spinal cord.
Initially, treatment was aimed at saving his life and preserving his limbs. To remove the fragment, which posed a risk of serious complications, the patient was transferred to Saratov. The decision to perform the risky operation was made by the team of the Department of Neurosurgery at SSMU under the leadership of Doctor of Medical Sciences Andrey Chekhonatsky.
«Failure to remove the fragment from the spinal cord carries the danger of the patient developing complications such as meningitis, adhesive processes in the area of the spinal nerve roots. This could severely impair self-care and make full recovery impossible,» explained Andrey Chekhonatsky.
Over the course of an hour and a half, surgeons using microsurgical equipment extracted the fragment measuring 0.9 by 0.9 centimeters from a critically important area — the so-called «cauda equina». This is a plexus of nerve endings responsible for leg movement, the functioning of pelvic organs, and sexual function.
After the operation, the soldier«s condition stabilized. According to the medical university, he is now able to move independently and care for himself. Currently, the patient continues recovery, receiving conservative therapy and local wound treatment.
