In this video Prof. Dr. A. F. M. Momtazul Haque explains spinal fixation surgery — a landmark operation for older patients with a degenerative spine who have disc problems at several levels at once.
Who may need it
Patients who suffer from:
- Low back pain and leg pain, with difficulty walking
- Weakness in the legs or problems passing urine
- Pain that has not improved despite medicines, physiotherapy and following all the advice
When X-ray and MRI show multi-level disc degeneration, together with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, spinal stenosis or facet hypertrophy, fixation surgery is offered as an option if the pain does not settle.
What the operation does
Through a laminectomy the compressed nerves are freed. Screws are then placed to stabilise the whole spine and give it a firm foundation. Afterwards patients are relieved of that pain.
Available in Dhaka and Rajshahi
This surgery is now done routinely in Dhaka, and the doctor also performs it regularly in Rajshahi, where he goes every Thursday and Friday.
Cost compared with abroad
According to the video, a similar operation costs roughly Tk 1–1.5 crore in Singapore, Tk 20–25 lakh in Thailand and Tk 8–10 lakh in India, while here it can be done for around Tk 2.5–3 lakh using the same kind of screws. Because most patients are middle or lower-middle class, the team tries to keep costs limited — and the results of Bangladeshi neurosurgeons and neuro-spine surgeons are encouraging.
This article is for general awareness only; it is not a substitute for direct medical advice.
