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In a rare and technically demanding procedure, doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, have successfully performed a complex surgery to treat avascular necrosis of the hip in a 28-year-old man, while preserving his hip joint.
The patient, a native of Mannuthy, had avascular necrosis in both hips—a condition in which reduced blood supply causes bone tissue to deteriorate. The disease was at stage III in the right hip and stage II in the left.
As the patient was young, doctors opted for a joint-preserving procedure on the left hip, with the aim of avoiding or delaying hip replacement surgery in the future.
The surgery lasted more than 12 hours and involved two specialised procedures: core decompression, followed by a free vascularised fibula graft.
In the procedure, a section of the patient’s fibula, along with its blood vessels, was harvested from the leg and transplanted into the affected area of the hip. Microvascular surgery was then performed to reconnect the blood vessels and restore blood supply to the transplanted bone.
Team behind procedure
The complex procedure was carried out jointly by teams from the Plastic Surgery, Orthopaedics and Anaesthesiology departments.
The Plastic Surgery team comprised Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan, Dr. Suneesh P.J. and Roshjo Roshan A. The Orthopaedics team was led by Dr. Manoj M.K. and included Dr. Dineep M.P., Dr. Prijith P.R. and Dr. Amal Jose. Dr. Amminikutty C.M. and Dr. Twinkle John were in the Anaesthesia team. Nursing team included Ramya P.R., Manjusha B. Menon and Nisha M. John.
The procedure requires expertise in both orthopaedic and plastic surgery, as well as advanced facilities for microsurgical vascular reconstruction. According to the medical team, free vascularised fibula grafting for avascular necrosis is an uncommon procedure even in private and corporate hospitals in India.
Successfully performing such a technically demanding surgery in a government medical college, despite resource constraints, marks a significant achievement for Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur.
Published – August 16, 2026 07:36 pm IST
