Surgery for His Majesty
July 17, 2009
The good thing here is
that His Majesty's problem —
lumbar spinal stenosis —
is quite common and very well understood. His Majesty has been treated
for this condition for some years now and you can be sure his doctors'
know exactly what is wrong. The story will give you details on the
various techniques they have used to diagnose the problem
over the years and some of the treatments they have prescribed. What
they story doesn't tell you is that most patients recover quite nicely
from the surgery although it may take some months of additional
treatment.
"Lumbar spinal stenosis" is quite a mouthful (a very long expression), so let's take it apart and see what it means. Lumbar refers to the lower back region. Spinal, of course, is the adjective form of spine. Your spine, of course, is the row of small bones down the middle of your back that protects your spinal cord — the mass of nerves that connect all parts of your body to the brain. The spine has three sections and the lumbar spine is the lowest. It is very important because it helps support much of your body weight when you walk.
Stenosis refers to an abnormal narrowing of a passage and that is the cause of the King's problem. As the story says, "lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal (passage) that can cause pressure on nerves to the legs." You can see a very good animation of the problem by clicking here.
surgery – a medical treatment is which someone’s body is cut open so that a doctor can repair, remove or replace a diseased or damaged partdiagnose – to identify what a particular illness or problem is
prescribe – to determine what kind of treatment should be given
You
can hear the full story by clicking here.
King to
undergo spine operation
His Majesty
the King will undergo an operation at Siriraj Hospital on
Thursday to treat lumbar spinal stenosis, the Royal Household Bureau
said yesterday. Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal
canal in the lower back that can cause pressure on nerves to the legs.
The King had
difficulty walking on his right leg in 1995 and a team of
neurologists
and orthopaedists
found it was caused by a degeneration
of
the lumbar spine caused by ageing, the bureau said.
An electromyogram
(commonly known as an EMG) also showed that there was
pressure on the lumbar spinal nerves when His Majesty took a walk, it
said.
Doctors administered
medication to treat the disorder
and the King's
condition subsequently
improved.
But in 2003, the King
was on a 200-metre walk when the discomfort
in
his right leg returned.
Diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging
and computerised tomography
showed His Majesty had developed lumbar spinal stenosis.
Last year, doctors
re-evaluated the King's condition and advised that
he undergo physical therapy,
as well as decompression
treatment using
microsurgery to enlarge
his spinal canal.
This year, on May 3, a
team of doctors from Siriraj Hospital and
several other hospitals held a meeting and concluded that a stenosis
enlargement operation was needed.
The King will be
treated with medication for some time before the
operation, the bureau said.
Post-operative care
will involve restoring muscular fitness and
strength with regular exercise.
The King suffered a
fall while he was walking inside the Chitrlada
Palace on June 24. Doctors found His Majesty had skin abrasions,
bruises on
the right side of his back and shoulder and a minor fracture
to a rib.
orthopaedists – doctors who treat problems with bones or muscles
degeneration - a worsening; a weakening
disorder – a problem or illness affecting someone’s body or mind
subsequently – happening after
discomfort – a painful feeling
magnetic resonance imaging – a process that can give a very detailed look at particular parts of a person’s body using a powerful magnetic field
computerised tomography – a process that gives a 3D view of structures within the body
therapy – a particular treatment for an illness or a physical or mental problem
decompression – a reduction in pressure
enlarge – to make larger
abrasions – an area of a person’s body where the skin has been scraped
bruises – injuries which appear as purple marks on the body although the skin has not been borken
fracture – a breakage
rib – one of the 12 pairs of curved bones that surround your chest
For more information on lumbar spinal stenosis, try these two sites: here and here.