One of the most complex orthopaedic surgery interventions in the lower extremities of a child suffering from brittle bone disease (osteogenesis imperfecta) was performed in St. Catherine Special Hospital.
“World-renowned and famous for its excellent work, I have entrusted the doctors at the St. Catherine Special Hospital to treat my child, after certain difficulties during treatment in Germany and Israel,” said Mrs. Alla Rotar from Russia immediately after surgery, she is the mother of the child undergoing complex surgery at the St. Catherine Special Hospital.
“I’d like to thank everyone in Croatia who has accepted me and my child with so much love, especially Dr. Darko Antičević, Dr. Željko Jeleč and Dr. Dragan Primorac as well as all the personnel of the St. Catherine Special Hospital.” Due to the deformation of the right lower leg which occurred after the previous surgery, it was necessary to remove the existing implants, perform a deformity correction and prepare the bone for the implantation of a telescopic nail which stabilises the bone and fixates it at its ends.
A video of the operation was streamed live in front of an auditorium consisting of 60 physicians and students from 10 countries around the world under the professional guidance of the St. Catherine Hospital team, headed by Dr. Darko Antičević and Dr. Željko Jeleč.
The hospital’s Symposium on Advanced Orthopedic Treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta was held during the day at the St. Catherine Hospital. Osteogenesis Imperfecta is a genetic illness associated with frequent bone fractures, short height, hearing loss and numerous complications that can affect almost all organ systems. During the first part of the Symposium, prominent lecturers held plenary lectures to explain all aspects of the disease, ranging from molecular and diagnostic issues to the clinical level of the disease, also providing recent insights into treatment options.
Firstly, Prof Dragan Primorac explained the molecular basis of the illness, followed by Prof Wolfgang Hoppner, who delivered a lecture on the concepts of molecular diagnostics and emphasised the importance of early detection of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, while Dr. Igor Borić presented the methods of radiodiagnostics.
In front of the Faculty of Dental Medicine, the University of Zagreb, the Dean Hrvoje Brkić delivered a lecture on Dentinogenesis Imperfecta as one of the manifestations of diseases affecting the dental system. Dr. Hudetz held a lecture on the mechanical properties of bones in patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. As a visiting lecturer, the world-renowned children’s orthopaedist from Israel, Dr. Dror Ovadia, has talked about his unique experiences and results of scoliosis surgery in these types of patients, which represent the highest medical achievements in this medical field.
Prof Darko Antičević, one of the most well-known European children’s orthopedists and president of the European Children’s Orthopedic Society, has announced new possibilities for treating the patients, which will represent a significant step forward in treating this disease. He boldly pointed out that the experts at the St. Catherine, the world’s centre of excellence, without exception, accept the most difficult cases of this illness and have achieved exceptional results by assisting a number of patients whose prospects weren’t promising by allowing them to continue on with their normal lives.
It should be noted that all present lecturers agreed with the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and a personalised approach to each patient as the only correct way to deal with the future challenges of this disease.
St. Catherine Special Hospital for Orthopedics, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ( www.svkatarina.hr) is a member of the prestigious family of The Leading Hospitals of The World.
In June 2015, the International Certification Association (ICERTIAS) declared the Special Hospital of St. Catherine to be the best private hospital in the Republic of Croatia.The European Business Assembly (Oxford, UK) gave St. Catherine Special Hospital the Best Regional Hospital Award for excellent quality of service provision at the European level back in 2015.
In the same year, the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), the leading online medical journal, awarded the hospital an award for excellence and innovation in medical tourism, and St. Catherine was proclaimed the “Best International Special Hospital of the Year”. In September this year, the St. Catherine Special Hospital became the first health institution in Europe to be awarded with the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA).
