Lebanese doctor performs life-saving op on Japanese boy
A Lebanese doctor carried out life-saving treatment on a 15-year-old boy in the Western Japanese city of Okayama, Arab News reported on February 25.
When the youth visited the Okayama University Hospital, he was paralyzed from the neck down before Abd El Kader Al-Askar, a consultant in orthopedic and spine surgery, treated him.
It was revealed that the boy suffered from a rare condition commonly known as basilar invagination, an invagination infolding of the base of the skull that happens when the top of the C2 vertebra migrates upward. The condition can cause narrowing of the foramen magnum, the opening in the skull where the spinal cord passes through to the brain.
READ: Cancer hospital in Gaza shuts down after fuel runs out
The condition can be present at birth but is commonly developed as a result of major injuries.
Alongside his medical team, Al-Askar performed the surgery which was believed to have lasted around four hours. The treatment involved the repositioning of the bottom of the skull as well as the spinal cord.
The surgery led to the 15-year-old now being capable of using both of his arms and legs.
The consultant usually works at the Beirut-based Makassed General Hospital however is temporarily in the country to treat Japanese sufferers of severe spinal and back issues.
Arab News
