Dr. Krishnakumar R., Assistant Professor in the Spine Division of the Department of Orthopaedics at the Amrita School of Medicine was recently honored with an International Spine Fellowship.

This 2013 Fellowship given by the International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine (ISSLS) was conferred during the 40th Annual Meeting of the ISSLS recently organized in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

The ISSLS has members from all over the world interested in the clinical study and research of the lumbar spine. Clinicians including those from anaesthesiology, basic research, chiropractic, engineering, internal medicine, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, physical therapy, physical medicine, psychiatry, psychology and radiology are its members.

“Participating at the Annual Meeting provided me an opportunity to showcase spine-related research and surgeries we have been doing at Amrita. It also provided a platform to interact and exchange ideas with scientists and surgeons who are researching molecular biology, spinal biomechanics and other spine related issues,” stated Dr. Krishnakumar.

At the Annual Meeting, Dr. Krishnakumar presented a paper titled Inverted Y Approach to Lumbo-Sacral Junction: Analysis of 525 Cases.

The paper was co-authored by Dr. Renjitkumar J., Professor at the Department of Orthopaedics at Amrita. It elaborated on the particular surgical technique Dr. Krishnakumar and his team at Amrita, were using to access the lumbo-sacral region of the vertebral column.

Dr. Krishnakumar explained further.

“Conventional surgical approach utilizes long midline incision and retracting muscles to reach the lumbo-sacral region. Many a time, such an approach becomes difficult due to altered anatomy of the pelvic bones such as high iliac crest.”

“At Amrita, we have been using this particular incision – Inverted Y or Mercedez Benz incision – to overcome the difficulties in approaching and instrumenting lumbo-sacral region of the spine in surgeries such as Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF), Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF), Ilio-lumbar fixation for trauma, tumour, infection and scoliosis surgery.”

Dr. Krishnakumar presented the data of 525 patients operated on, using this technique at Amrita with more than two years follow-up for the patients. His study showed that Inverted Y or Mercedez Benz incision was a very safe and effective way to access the lumbo-sacral spine with minimum complications.

The concept was well received and appreciated by the international community during the conference.

In 2012, Dr. Krishnakumar was a recipient of spine and spine surgery surgery fellowships from the Singapore General Hospital and Scoliosis Research Society at Washington University, USA. He currently serves the AOSPINE INDIA council as a delegate member from South India.

July 13, 2013
Health Sciences Campus, Kochi