11 October 2004	Monday	25 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 10: The Liaquat National Hospital has set up country's first ever latest spinal clinic at its neurosurgery department at a cost of Rs25 million.

At the inauguration of the spinal clinic, Dr Salman Sharif of neurosurgery department said that the spinal cord and brain surgeries through the latest equipment were being performed only in the USA and the UK. For the first time, these operations would be performed in Pakistan, he added.

He explained the procedure of operations through some equipment, available at the hospital. The machines and equipment, used in these clinics included CARM system, Real-time fluoroscopy, online imaging, ultrasonic separator, and laser camera.

He said that the operations of brain tumours could be performed very easily with the help of these machines. With the ultrasonic laser, he added, tumours could be dissolved and through endoscope camera the tumours in smaller parts of brain could be removed.

The cameras could be inserted through the passage of nose, he said. The patients' stay at hospitals had also been reduced to three days instead of two weeks. The clinic would function on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, he added. -PPI