Traveled hundreds of kilometers from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment of both legs at risk of paralysis

(Dan Tri) - After many years of suffering from severe pain, a Cambodian woman decided to go to Ho Chi Minh City to find a chance to save her increasingly weak legs.

Ms. KD (62 years old, Cambodian nationality) has suffered from persistent back pain and numbness in her lower limbs for many years. The woman went to several local hospitals to seek treatment but to no avail.

Traveled hundreds of kilometers to seek help from doctors in Ho Chi Minh City

Thinking that she would have to live with this pain for the rest of her life, the miraculous recovery story of her neighbor at the South Saigon International General Hospital (HCMC) ignited new faith, so that Ms. D. decided to go to a hospital in Vietnam with the hope of returning to normal life.

Here, the doctors ordered her to have an MRI to determine the cause. The results showed that the patient had severe spinal degeneration, L3 spondylolisthesis, multi-level spinal stenosis from L3 to S1, with L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc protrusion compressing the L4-L5-S1 nerve roots.

Doctors at South Saigon International General Hospital check the patient's condition (Photo: Hospital).

These injuries not only cause lasting pain but also pose many potential risks.

“The patient’s entire lumbar region has been severely affected, due to complications of spinal degeneration causing nerve root compression. If this condition is not treated surgically, the patient is at very high risk of lower limb paralysis in a few years,” shared Dr. Nguyen Hai Tam, Department of Neurosurgery - Spine.

5-hour surgery and miraculous recovery journey

Immediately after the consultation, the team of the Neurosurgery - Spine Department including Dr. Nguyen Hai Tam and Dr. Nguyen Tai Thien coordinated with the Anesthesia and Resuscitation Department to perform surgery to treat Ms. D. using spinal fixation surgery and lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).

The surgical team performed TLIF technique on the patient (Photo: BVCC).

This is one of the advanced techniques in the treatment of spinal stenosis, requiring the doctor to have solid expertise and precise manipulation to avoid dangerous complications.

The challenge is even greater when the patient has underlying essential hypertension—a condition that causes blood pressure to fluctuate abnormally during surgery—which increases the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular complications.

During the 5-hour surgery, doctors approached the damaged area from behind, cut and reshaped the degenerated vertebrae to widen the spinal canal and completely release the compressed nerve roots.

Patients practice walking under the guidance and supervision of doctors (Photo: BVCC)

The team then continued to replace the three damaged discs with artificial discs, and placed eight specialized screws to fix the spine, to prevent the possibility of spondylolisthesis.

Thanks to the close coordination of the team, the amount of blood loss was safely controlled. Post-operative examination results showed that the spine was stable again, without complications.

Just 2 days after surgery, Ms. D. was able to do her daily activities and walk lightly with the support of a back brace.

After a week of intensive monitoring, her health was stable and she was discharged from the hospital and returned to Cambodia to the joy of her family.

Modern surgical methods improve the quality of life for patients

According to doctors, spinal stenosis often originates from spinal degeneration - a common disease in the elderly - causing prolonged back pain, numbness in the limbs and severely limiting mobility. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, the patient is at risk of serious complications such as weakness, paralysis of the limbs or urinary and bowel disorders.

With the development of modern medicine, many surgical methods have been born, opening up new hope for patients. Among them, TLIF technique stands out thanks to its ability to completely decompress, quickly relieve pain, recover early and safely with a low complication rate.

The case of Mrs. KD at the Department of Neurosurgery - Spine, Nam Saigon International General Hospital is a testament to the professional capacity and effectiveness of this method.

With a team of experts and a system of modern equipment, Nam Sai Gon International General Hospital is gradually becoming a trusted address in the treatment of complex spinal diseases, not only for domestic people but also for many foreign patients.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/vuot-hang-tram-km-tu-campuchia-den-tphcm-cap-cuu-2-chan-co-nguy-co-liet-20250911160650383.htm