About Us Portfolio Press Careers Sitemap Advertise Contact Us Make this your Homepage

Custom Search

Register

Sign In

Sign In Using Facebook

Home » Research News

Extreme Bone Infection May Call For Last-Resort Lower-Body Amputation

by Tanya on November 21, 2009 at 8:23 AM Research News

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a landmark, 25-year review of cases in which surgeons had to remove the lower portion of the body from the waist down for severe pelvic bone infections shows the therapy can add years and quality of life to survivors.

Extreme Bone Infection May Call For Last-Resort Lower-Body Amputation

Related Links

The rarely performed surgery is called a hemicorporectomy or translumbar amputation, and involves removing the entire body below the waist, including legs, pelvic bone and urinary system.

"It is used as a last resort on patients with potentially fatal illnesses such as certain cancers or complications from ulcers in the pelvic region that cannot otherwise be contained," said Dr. Jeffrey Janis, associate professor of plastic surgery at UT Southwestern and lead author of the study, which appears in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. "We determined that it can be effective and a reasonable consideration in some of these extreme cases."

Hemicorporectomy rarely has been performed because of the very limited indications for the procedure, said senior author Dr. Robert McClelland, professor emeritus of surgery at UT Southwestern.

"An increasing number of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are surviving very severe injuries that frequently lead to permanent paraplegia and are often complicated by severe bedsores and intractable bone infection, which is potential a source of fatal sepsis. Because of this, the frequency of indications for hemicorporectomy may soon increase significantly," Dr. McClelland said.

Page 1

Page 1 | 2

Next

Climate Change Bad News For Winemakers

Methane Buildup In Rwandan Lake Makes It A Potential Time Bomb

More News on: Infantile Cortical Hyperostosis, Flu

Comment & Contribute

Be the first to comment!
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters
	Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the terms and conditions
Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished. Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

Medwonders Health Network

Support Groups Members Discussions

Total Members - 54953
Support Groups - 445

Health News Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Latest News Most Popular Most Commented

Five More Patients Die as Doctors' Strike Continues in AP

Imogen Thomas Seeks Hypnotherapy To Get Rid of Cake Addiction

Website To Promote Premarital Virginity Launched in China

Excessive Consumption of Phosphate Pose Risk To Health

RSBY to Provide Health Insurance for 66,000 J&K Families

News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :

News Quick Links

	News Central			Health Watch
	Latest Health News			Health In Focus
	News Category (500+)			Breaking Health News
	Popular News			Celebrating Life
	Health News and Press Release			Medindia - Exclusive
	News Photo Gallery			India Special
	News Video Gallery			Lifestyle and Wellness
	News From Other Resources

News Categories:


»	Imogen Thomas Seeks Hypnotherapy To Get Rid of Cake Addiction

»	Amitabh Bachchan to Undergo Minor Abdominal Surgery

»	Lady Gaga Battled Eating Disorders During Childhood

»	Acid Attack Survivor Katie Piper's Eyesight Restored After Stem Cell Surgery

»	I Will Draw Inspiration from Armstrong in Battling Illness: Yuvi
More Celebrity News

Research Related News
»	Study Provides Evidence of Malaria's Impact on Fetal Growth	»	Research Sheds Light on Usefulness of Bubble-Propelled Microrockets
»	Research Details How Deadly Bird Parasite Evolves at a Fast Rate	»	Peptides That Could Lead to Universal Influenza Vaccine Identified
»	Video-Based Home Exercise Able to Ease Osteoarthritis Pain and Perk Up Mobility	»	Memory Enhancement by Stimulating Key Spot in Brain
»	Substance P Causes Seizures in People With Pork Tapeworm	»	Neighboring 'Finger Nerve Cells' Render Middle Finger Slowest

Read More >>

Extreme Bone Infection May Call For Last-Resort Lower-Body Amputation

Medwonders Health Network

Research Related News

Consumers

Medical Professionals

Medical Students

Directories