Limb Salvage Surgery

It is an advanced surgical technique that is recommended for patients with bone tumours. The procedure aims at extracting the tumour while preserving the limb. This helps to negate the need for amputation, giving the patient a better chance at life. It is commonly performed on small kids with malignant bone tumours on the long bones in their upper and lower limbs.

What is Limb salvage surgery?
It is an advanced surgical technique that is used to treat orthopaedic tumours that develop within the limbs. The surgery is also known as limb-sparing surgery, as, unlike the early times when the affected limb had to be amputated, the surgery makes it possible to preserve the limb, while precisely removing the tumour. In case the doctors feel the need to remove the bone along with the tumour, a prosthetic bone is used to replace it. This is done to ensure that the structure and function of the limb are preserved. The affected bone can also be replaced with a real bone taken from the body of a cadaver. 
Doctors often perform therapeutic interventions like chemotherapy and radiation therapy prior to the surgery with the aim of shrinking the tumour. This makes it easier to remove the tumour without causing much damage to the nearby bones and tissues. 

What are the steps involved in Limb salvage surgery? 
Limb salvage surgery is done in three different stages. 
●    Stage 1 of the surgery involves  extraction of the tumour along with some of the surrounding healthy tissues.
●    Stage 2 of the surgery involves removal of the affected bone
●    Stage 3 of the surgery involves implantation of the prosthetic bone or bone graft.