Nation’s Surgeons Achieve Medical Feat In Bone Stiffness
Sunday, 21 August 2011 00:00 From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu News - National
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Prof.-Chukwu

A TEAM of Nigerian surgeons has developed a new world-acclaimed surgical technique for the treatment of permanent bone stiffness of the elbow, known as ankylosis of the elbow in medical parlance.

Already, seven Nigerians have benefited from the new technique and are now living normal lives.

The new technique known as Radial Recurrent Fasciocutaneous Flap in Interposition Arthroplasty of Elbow Ankylosis was recently published in International Surgery, an official journal of the International College of Surgeons based in Italy.

The surgeons, led by Prof. Frank Akpuaka, the medical director of a private orthopaedic hospital in Enugu include Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze and Dr. Udo Anyaehie, both of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Abuja.

The Guardian investigation showed that an authoritative biomedical website, BioMed Lib.com based in the United States of America, using its search engine to assess millions of biomedical articles in the National Library of Medicine’s Meddline data base, currently rated their publication in the first position out of 4,143,174 publications worldwide.

A second rating by Biomedlib.com again scored the new technique first with a score of 93 per cent out of 3,859,118 publications worldwide.

Another rating, the 3rd by Recent Medical Findings.com also in the United States scored the new technique a close second out of 36 top biomedical articles in the field in the last 5 years.

The surgeons started experimenting on the technique in 2006 and followed up until late last year when they announced their triumph.

According to the publication, what excited the team is the simplicity of the technique.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58536:-nations-surgeons-achieve-medical-feat-in-bone-stiffness&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21309413

Article: The use of the radial recurrent fasciocutaneous flap in interposition arthroplasty of elbow ankylosis case report and review of literature.

Abstract

Elbow ankylosis and its management remain a challenge in the developing countries like Nigeria because of many factors, including the absence of elbow replacement surgery. Current operative management, which is interposition arthroplasty with fascia lata or arthrodesis in a more functional position, is commonly complicated with donor site morbidity and restricted functionality, respectively. We report the use of the regional radial recurrent fasciocutaneous flap of the arm as an interposition material for an ankylosed elbow after excision of the bone block, with no donor site morbidity and improved range of elbow motion. At 4 years postoperatively, patient is very satisfied with functionality. Additionally, this method of managing elbow ankylosis uses a vascularized and durable flap, is cheap, and has less operation time, and thus is highly recommended.

Author(s): Akpuaka, Francis Chinedu; Eze, Chukwuemeka Benjamin; Anyaehie, Udo Ego
Address: Plastic Surgery Unit, St. Francis Hospital, Asata, Enugu, Nigeria.
Source: International surgery  Volume: 95   Issue: 4   Pages: 315-8   Published: 2010 Oct-Dec

I would have commented personally were I an orthopaedic person or had full access to the article to read and digest it. But let us see in a few years time how many citations this article gets, and the sustained practical application of their findings, to support the ''medical feat'' claim. For now, I congratulate them for a supposed great feat.

How are nigerian conventional orthopedists (the oyinbo trained) doing to incorporate the native orthorpedics that works so well into their everyday practice?

redsun:

How are nigerian conventional orthopedists (the oyinbo trained) doing to incorporate the native orthorpedics that works so well into their everyday practice?

I am just thrilled that private Nigerians (these guys are not working for the govt) could be engaged in publishable research.

That's awesome!

We have some resourceful,native and natural skills on bone manipulation in nigeria,in my area that i am very conversant with that are slowly dying away because the youths just want to be like obj,insensitive,overnight and uncountable wealth accumulation,corrupt,unskilled,unproductive and dubious.No body wants to learn skills,work hard and learn how to fix things.

Along side it are some natural herbs and plants that steams the bone and heals it.Although the tactics could be brute and painful some times like childbirth but it works.

redsun:

We have some resourceful,native and natural skills on bone manipulation in nigeria,in my area that i am very conversant with that are slowly dying away because the youths just want to be like obj,insensitive,overnight and uncountable wealth accumulation,corrupt,unskilled,unproductive and dubious.No body wants to learn skills,work hard and learn how to fix things.

Along side it are some natural herbs and plants that steams the bone and heals it.Although the tactics could be brute and painful some times like childbirth but it works.

You are right. Nigeria is brimming to the top with bioresources that have applications in medicine and the environment. Harnessing them to the benefit of humankind is another issue.

cool

South-East:

You are right. Nigeria is brimming to the top with bioresources that have applications in medicine and the environment. Harnessing them to the benefit of humankind is another issue.

Just like in every other thing,we have it but we lack.