A 40-year-old, resident near Wrocław, was diagnosed with patellar cancer. A team of doctors from the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System of the University Teaching Hospital in Wrocław came to the rescue, who carried out a pioneering surgery to transplant the entire extension apparatus.
About 3 years ago, 40-year-old Remigiusz developed health problems. He led an active life and spent a lot of time skating. After some time, he began to feel pains in his right knee. Initially, he suspected that it might be related to the amount of sport practiced. The man underwent a biopsy which showed that his knee had a 6-cm tumor that was destroying bone tissue. The tumor was located in the kneecap.
The knee was very swollen and it hurt a lot, which made Mr. Remigiusz unable to function normally.
Doctors from Wrocław decided that the only solution was to carry out a transplant. The patient would receive a new knee extension apparatus, which is the part of the thigh muscle that allows the knee to straighten freely.
Doctors uncovered the extension apparatus, then they cut off individual tendons, ligaments, part of the tibia and also dropped the kneecap with a tumor. The transplant from the deceased donor was attached to the patient’s bone with the help of special screws and anchors. In this way, the patient received a new, healthy kneecap along with the extension apparatus, i.e. the entire mechanism enabling the knee to be moved.
The procedure was risky because it is the second such procedure in the world with this type of disease. Besides, the doctors did not know what the effect would be and whether the patient would be able to return to work.
A year has passed since the pioneering procedure, there is practically no trace of the transplant and the patient feels great
In «Dzień Dobry TVN» prof. Szymon Dragan and Dr. Szymon Dragan told us about the details of the procedure performed. How long did they have to wait to acknowledge that the transplant had taken off?
Based on: Dzień dobry TVN