Pak boy gets back the spring in his steps!

Chennai, Oct 23 (UNI) A six-year-old Pakistani boy who was born with a rare disorder preventing him from walking has been cured at a hospital here.

Explaining the procedure, Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon of Apollo Hospitals R Gopalakrishnan, who had conducted the three-hour-long surgery said Zia Ur Rahman was born with Congenital Pseudo Arthrosis (CPA) -- growth of a false joint between the knee and ankle -- a rare deformity affecting only one child in a million.

''He was born with a split in his tibia -- the bone connecting the ankle and the knee. At this tender age he has already been through three complicated and expensive surgeries -- two in Karachi and one in Quetta -- before doctors in his hometown of Peshwar slotted him down for an amputation of his leg,'' he said said.

But Zia's father Syed Sanaullah, a vessel and a grocery merchant, did not agree for the amputation. At this stage, he was informed about the Apollo Hospitals.

Dr Gopalakrishnan said he first severed the false bone and the tumour and shortened his leg by about seven inches. He then attached the 'Ilizarov' frame in the leg and watched the healing process to begin.

Developed by a Russian Professor Dr G A Ilizarov, the frame comprises two metal rings fixed above and below the affected area with metal rods that pierce through the bone, holding it in place.

As the fracture healed and the bones get connected, the frame allowed the limb to grow gradually till the desired length is obtained.

Three months after the surgery, which had cost about Rs 80,000 including the stay, Zia had shown steady improvement. His leg had gained a total of seven inches length and is ready to fly back home.

A visibly relieved Syed Sanaullah said ''I can finally see my son walking. I can see him living the life of a normal six-year-old boy.'' 'When he comes back after two months, the Ilizarov frame will be removed and he can walk and run like any other child,'' the surgeon told reporters.

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