Shillong, Sept 03: The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, has achieved a significant milestone in advanced spine care by successfully performing Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic (UBE) spine surgery (a keyhole modern minimally invasive spine surgery technique) for lumbar disc prolapse.
The procedure is believed to be the first UBE discectomy performed in a government healthcare institution in Northeast India. The beneficiary, a patient from Assam, was suffering from lumbar disc prolapse causing compression of the spinal nerve.
Unlike conventional open spine surgery, which generally requires a larger incision and greater disruption of the surrounding muscles, UBE surgery allows the surgeon to access the affected area through small incisions while obtaining a magnified endoscopic view of the spinal structures.
Compared with conventional open or microscope-assisted procedures, the technique is designed to minimize tissue disruption while allowing precise visualization and decompression of the affected nerve. Potential advantages include smaller surgical wounds, reduced muscle injury, less post-operative discomfort, earlier mobilization, and potentially faster recovery in appropriately selected patients.
Director NEIGRIHMS Prof. Nalin Mehta, congratulated the team and said that the introduction of UBE spine surgery at NEIGRIHMS represents an important advancement in the availability of minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery in the public healthcare sector of Northeast India.
It also provides patients from the region to access this advanced spine procedures closer to home. This milestone reflects NEIGRIHMS’ continuing efforts to introduce modern surgical technologies and strengthen advanced tertiary healthcare services for the people of Northeast India.
The advanced procedure was successfully performed by the Orthopaedics Department, led by Dr. Sachlang Debbarma with key support from Dr. Dinendra Chirom, Dr. Shanborlang, Dr. Ajoy Baishya and Dr. Dasara Nongbet, Assistant Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, Nursing Officer Watila Chungmuro and her team provided nursing care support during the surgery. The operation was carried out under the guidance of departmental head Prof. (Dr.) Bhaskar Borgohain and other senior members, including Prof. (Dr.) Sharat Agarwal and Dr. Tashi G. Khonglah.
