Fortis doctors make Yemeni man with rare condition walk again

A 26-year-old man from Yemen, suffering from a rare genetic disorder and retarded growth, got a fresh lease of life following a successful surgery at a private hospital here, that made him walk again after a gap of eight years.
Abdo, the son of a school teacher from Adan in the Arab country, looks like a 10-year-old boy with body weight of 26 kg, as he is born with a rare sickle-cell disease and retarded growth.
"Abdo got admitted in Fortis Hospital at Mulund near here four weeks back and underwent a bilateral Total Knee Replacement (TKR) which has enabled him to walk again," said Dr Sachin Bhosle, Orthopaedic Surgeon who headed a team that treated Abdo.

Bhosale said Abdo's genetic condition coupled with other deformities made it a challenging task for doctors to operate upon him.
"His knee bone was soft with the width of mere 7 cm compared to the normal bone size of 10-20 cm. We performed customised knee replacement and a ceramic prosthesis was done for a longer duration," Bhosle said addressing a press conference.
Abdo's father was more than delighted.

"I am walking out as a happy man with my son who can now walk on his own. We will be flying to our country tomorrow," he told reporters.
Abdo's father said that he tried treating Abdo in Yemen for one year but was unsuccessful.

Apart from sickle cell disease, Abdo is also suffering from a "growth retardation" with multiple joint problems. "From hip to ankle, Abdo has one single bone in both the knees with a 90 degree crooked bend without knee joints. He also had very less amount of ligament (fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones) that was placed back for some stability," Bhosle said underlining the complexities involved in treating the youth.
Though the surgical procedures carried out on Abdo are successful, there is always a risk of sickle cells reforming themselves and there is no permanent cure for the condition.