New Delhi, Mar 15 (IANS): Doctors here have successfully treated a 16-year-old boy suffering from spinal deformity, helping him stand straight on his feet for the first time in his life.

The boy, Himeshwar from Gurdaspur in Punjab, suffered from Kyphoscoliosis since birth. Due to his condition, he also developed breathing difficulty in the last three years as his chest could not expand. The patient had to carry an oxygen cylinder wherever he went due to his poor lung condition.

"Himeshwar's condition was so bad that while standing, his trunk tilted to one side, and he couldn't walk in an erect posture. His SpO2 (oxygen saturation) at rest was 48 per cent only and he was on continuous oxygen support for the last three years," Ankur Nanda, senior consultant spine surgeon at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), New Delhi, said in a statement.

SpO2 is known as oxygen saturation or the percentage of oxygen in blood.

Nanda said that the boy needed correction of spine deformity to return to normal life. Such spine surgeries are extremely challenging with high chances of developing weakness of legs due to nerve stretching.

"Another challenge in this case was that if he was subjected to a major surgery, then due to his poor lung condition, he may never be able to come out of the ventilator after the procedure," he added.

Himeshwar's spine had a preoperative degree of 128, which was corrected to 61-degree post surgery. After the surgical procedure, the boy could walk normally and no longer needed oxygen support, Nanda said.

"The boy got a new lease of life as he was able to walk normally the day after surgery. The patient has been doing well in the follow-up and is now active like other children of his age. He is now totally off oxygen support and leading a normal life. He is also able to attend school and prepare for his Class X board exams," said Nanda.