What is being hailed as the first of its kind surgery here in the United States, a multi-disciplinary team of oncologists, urologists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and general surgeons from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have successfully rebuilt the pelvis of a cancer patient out of bones from his own amputated leg. Even more remarkable than the sheer engineering complexity of the pelvic device is the fact that the patient, now considered a cancer survivor, is almost able to walk without any assistance.
Mike Prindle was an Ohio mail carrier who developed a chondrosarcoma tumor on his pelvis and sacrum that necessitated the removal of the malignant part of his pelvis, and the amputation of his left leg. However, instead of discarding the amputated limb, doctors kept the femur, fibula, and their surrounding blood vessels, muscles, and skin, which were unaffected by the cancer. They then engineered a custom device consisting of the salvaged leg bones, two large rods and a couple of smaller rods fixed to the pelvis and spine with 14 screws to help provide support.
Most patients who receive a similar device made of cadaver bones or artificial materials are confined to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives because the reconstructed pelvis does not heal strongly enough to support a person’s body weight. However, Prindle’s own bones fused together to create a pelvic ring strong enough to allow him to walk again using a prosthetic leg. The prosthetic leg, a C-Leg from Germany based Otto Block, contains mini-computers at the hip joint, knee joint and foot to analyze his gait, reducing the amount of strain on the prosthetic and allowing him to walk with greater ease.
Article from OSUCCC: Ohio State Surgeons Rebuild Pelvis Of Cancer Patient…
Medgadget’s Otto Bock archives…