Spinal surgery in Latvia

27 years ago Christine Hilton had a lumber spinal fusion (bone grafts only, no instrumentation) after breaking her back and with an excellent surgeon performing the operation she went on to lead a very active life.  However, over time the bony fusion became unstable, vertebras moved, discs crushed and the pain prevented her from working, driving or sitting down without severe pain.  For Christine, sleeping was a thing of the past.

She said:  "The NHS told me I would always be in pain so I paid to have x-rays taken and travelled three hundred miles to see a very eminent surgeon.  From the x-rays and examination he felt a re-fusion with instrumentation would give me a very good result with a possibility of a 70% reduction in pain.  I was unable to get a surgeon in my area to do the surgery on the NHS and after discussing the problems with my GP he felt that I would not get the surgery I needed on the NHS (chronic pain not being a priority for primary care trust) so I considered going abroad for my surgery because financing the surgery I would need in Britain would be impossible for me.  After some research I decided to visit Riga, which has an orthopaedic hospital and spinal unit. 

"The hospital's MRSA record put British hospitals to shame and was only 30 minutes from the airport.  I admit I was still cautious but once I spoke with my surgeon all my doubts disappeared.  He looked at my notes, x-rays and MRI scans and I had more x-rays and MRI scans.  That evening the surgeon explained that he wanted to do two spinal operations which would last nine hours.  He performed three procedures:  He went through my stomach to insert a metal cage between the collapsing vertebras and then put bone grafts around the metal cage, he opened the cage so now there is a correct space between the vertebras and the pressure is no longer on my spinal chord.  He then worked on my back, re-aligning the spine and then inserting three metal rods and six screws with a view to getting up to 90% pain relief.

Patient story supplied by Baltic Link, Latvia.

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