A 59-year-old female patient in Hung Yen with tuberculosis of the knee, was the first to receive an artificial knee replacement by a doctor from Central Lung Hospital.
She has been living with rheumatoid arthritis for 17 years, 3-4 times a year, she has to go to the hospital to examine and take medicine every day. Her illness improved, she was able to walk and have personal activities.
6 months ago, she had pain in her left knee but did not go to the doctor. The disease got worse, the left knee joint became swollen and pus ruptured. She just arrived at the Central Lung Hospital. The doctor said that the disease was in a late stage, the thigh muscles were atrophy, joints were stiff. The knee joint fluid test found positive for TB bacteria. Doctors have consulted, surgery to clean the knee, along with chemotherapy treatment.
In March, the patient re-examined, tested for significantly reduced inflammation, took a film to assess the absence of knee abscess. Doctors of General Surgery decided to replace knee surgery to help patients have a chance to return to normal activities.
After surgery, the patient’s health is stable, after two days of immediate rehabilitation, the knee can be folded and stretched within a certain range. After more than a week, the patient can walk, without using supportive tools.
After more than a week of joint replacement, the patient is able to walk, without using supportive tools. Image: Hospital provided.
Doctor Nguyen Khac Trang, Head of General Surgery Department, Central Lung Hospital, said the knee replacement surgery with an artificial joint helps patients recover almost completely the motor function of the joint. Most of the patients with artificial knee replacement due to osteoarthritis, joint damage injury, arthritis – synovial membrane damage joint cartilage.
For tuberculosis of the knee joint, to date often no joint replacement. The reason, joint replacement surgery due to TB is very difficult, TB bacteria destroy many bones. In particular, TB is an infectious disease, so doctors are very afraid to put on artificial devices.
“Osteoarthritis if detected early and treated in time, the patient can be completely cured, leaving no sequelae. However, patients come to the hospital mainly in the late stage, the joints are deformed and much destruction, “said Dr. Trang.
For many years, the Central Lung Hospital has performed artificial vertebrae replacement, hip joints, shoulder joints due to tuberculosis, with very good results. However, this is the first time doctors have replaced a knee joint for a TB patient.
“This is also the first case in Vietnam to successfully replace a knee joint for a TB joint. Now the patient can move around almost normally,” said Dr. Trang. He believes that this will be a new opportunity for cases of tuberculosis, tuberculosis of the spine in the late stage.
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