11-y-o girl recovering after scoliosis surgery

The surgery for Ajanae Parchment, the 11-year-old girl who underwent corrective surgery for severe scoliosis last week, went well, her mother Sandra Aitcheson has indicated.

Aitcheson said the high-risk procedure, which lasted for more than six hours, was “exceptionally done” by the team of doctors at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) on November 20.

“She is coming along. She still has pain, but she is doing physiotherapy, where she’s slowly moving around,” Aitcheson told The Gleaner, sharing that doctors have indicated that it may take up to a year for her to fully recover.

“I am happy but tired. The treatment from the nurses and doctors was exceptional. I didn’t have any problems, and even now, the doctors – Dr Bruce and Dr Lawrenece – still follow up with us and call every day. So everything is good. We are grateful,” she said.

Ajanae was last year diagnosed with scoliosis and referred to the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) for treatment.

Scoliosis is a condition in which a person’s spine has an irregular curve in the coronal plane. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time.

At the time of diagnosis, the curve of her spine was 25 degrees. It since moved to 85 degrees.

A US team of doctors on an annual mission and one of Jamaica’s leading orthopaedic surgeons were to perform the surgery last month at BHC.

However, Aitcheson told The Gleaner that the surgeons could not operate because the operating theatre had mould, air-conditioning challenges, and was without the necessary equipment.

United States-based surgeon Dr Robert Brady, the team lead, decried the condition of the infrastructure at Jamaica’s public-health facilities after he and his colleagues were forced to put off the life-changing surgery.

Brady, the section chief at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut, visited the island with the team of doctors in October to perform orthopaedic-related surgeries for children with severe challenges, including scoliosis.

He said he has been travelling to Jamaica for 20 years, but described this year’s mission as “terrible”, disclosing that the team was only able to perform five surgeries – four at BHC and one at UHWI.

Brady said the team is accustomed to performing 12 to 16 surgeries per trip. He blamed poor infrastructure for the shortfall this time around.

Following the missed opportunity, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said arrangements were made with the UHWI for Ajanae to undergo spinal surgery.

He said when he was made aware of Ajanae’s situation, he consulted with various stakeholders in the health sector to address the matter.

He said UHWI consented to facilitate the surgery based on discussions with the lead clinician Dr Carl Bruce.

He indicated then that the hospital would provide an operating theatre, along with all the necessary equipment and supporting staff.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com