Patient Relations
New, innovative, minimally-invasive bunion correction procedure means patients are back on their feet immediately after surgery
Samer Bondokji, a consultant podiatric surgeon at JHAH, is among the first doctors in Saudi Arabia — and the very first in the Eastern Province — to surgically correct a foot deformity with a fourth-generation minimally-invasive bunionectomy system. This groundbreaking procedure follows Dr. Bondokji’s similar success a year ago, when he performed the Kingdom’s first keyhole bunion correction surgery.
“The fear of pain from open foot surgery is a big deterrent because people need to get back on their feet,” Dr. Bondokji said. “With keyhole bunion correction surgery, we avoid the moderate to severe pain caused by open surgery, as well as the scarring that can be of concern to women and men who wear open-toed shoes.
The new bunion correction procedure takes as little as 30 minutes to complete and can be used in up to 90% of cases. Patients can be treated while under regional anesthesia, rather than general anesthesia, and do not need to take strong painkillers after leaving hospital.
Fatimah Al Shahri, the first patient to undergo the new procedure at JHAH, was suffering from a bunion that rubbed painfully against her shoe. She underwent surgery in October.
My quality of life has already improved considerably,
she said in an interview six weeks after surgery. “I was quickly back to my normal levels of activity, and I was able to drive."
“I’m also very happy with the new shape of my foot. My shoe size is now smaller by one size, which has made it much easier to find shoes that I like.”
Minimally-invasive surgery, also known as keyhole surgery, is a surgical technique whereby a surgeon performs a procedure inside the body through a tiny incision in the skin. Open surgery involves a much larger incision.
A bunion is a bony prominence on the side of the foot at the level of the big toe, which forces the joint at the base of the big toe to stick out. A bunion can be very painful as it rubs against the shoe. A bunionectomy is a surgical procedure that corrects this deformity.
Dr. Bondokji performed the new procedure using the Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy System. This was the first bunionectomy in the Eastern Province to use a fourth-generation system and is one of only a few performed in the Kingdom to date. Last year, JHAH became the first hospital in Saudi Arabia to perform a bunionectomy using a second-generation system.
The newer device boasts significant upgrades. It allows surgeons to cut the deformed bone under X-ray control with a specialized instrument, and to fix the bone more accurately and robustly. The screws used to fix the bone are now beveled, giving them an ultra-low profile, meaning that patients don’t feel protruding screw heads under their skin.
Dr. Bondokji said the fourth-generation technology allows JHAH surgeons to treat more severe bunions than previously possible, meaning more patients can now benefit from bunion correction surgery through keyhole rather than open surgery. “We’re thrilled to be able to make this new technology available to our patients,” he concluded.
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