NEW DELHI: A 50-year-old Ugandan man, who was diagnosed with a rare complication associated with the hip that had affected his walking capability, has received a new lease of life after undergoing a surgery at a leading private facility here, hospital authorities said on Monday.
He was diagnosed with Primary Synovial Chondromatosis, a disease that most commonly occurs in knees, followed by hips, elbows and shoulders. The root cause of it is still unknown, doctors at the hospital said.
This was an "extremely rare case" of Synovial Chondromatosis in the hip joint, the Apollo hospital said in a statement.
"This 50-year-old patient was in acute pain and was unable to walk. He had a history of left hip dislocation from 20 years ago for which he was managed conservatively and had been asymptomatic till six months ago. The condition can be fatal, therefore he was recommended a total hip replacement surgery with subtotal synovectomy and removal of multiple loose bodies," said Dr Raju Vaishya, senior consultant, orthopaedics and joint replacement at the facility in Delhi.
The patient had been suffering from acute pain in the hip for the past six months. The pain had advanced into inability to walk or move. He was advised surgery back in his native country Uganda, however, he did not undergo any surgery in his home country before heading to India for treatment, doctors said.
The African patient was recommended an immediate "total hip replacement surgery of the left hip" and was admitted to the hospital on June 16, they said.
"The post-operative period was uneventful and he was discharged after thirteen days on June 29. Post-surgery the patient is doing well, walking with a stick and is continuing physiotherapy," said Dr Vaishya.
Primary Synovial Chondromatosis is a "rare, benign condition of the joint" that involves the lining of the joint (synovium). Only a handful such cases have been reported in the world literature, so far. The exact cause of this condition is still not known and the probable hypothesis points toward previous trauma or inflammatory joint disease, he added.
The Ugandan patient had the ailment in benign condition. Rarely, it can transform into malignancy, the doctors said.
This rare condition can severely damage joints, causing advanced stage of osteoarthritis leading to lifelong disability. The condition has tendency to recur and largely affect the knee joint, the statement said.
Most people who develop symptoms of Primary Synovial Chondromatosis are men, aged between 30-50. Women have a "lower risk" of developing Primary Synovial Chondromatosis than men, the hospital said.
