A complex spinal cord surgery was performed on a road accident survivor at Kauvery Hospital recently. According to a press release, the patient, a 33-year-old from Coimbatore, sustained an injury on his left arm in 2013. He was diagnosed with a complete avulsion injury (tear injury) of his brachial plexus — the network of nerves that provides supply to the entire arm.
G. Balamurali, consultant neuro-spone surgeon, performed the DREZ (dorsal root entry zone) lesioning procedure, in which the damaged areas of the pain-signalling nerve cells are blocked.
The hospital has now formed a support group for patients with brachial plexus injuries, as a corporate social responsibility initiative for patients, with specialists as advisers. www.bpisupportgroup.com has been set up as a resource site.