A Singapore hospital successfully prevented further necrosis in a diabetic patient's foot and reconstructed the foot by combining innovative orthopedic surgery and reconstructive surgery. This is the world's first foot reconstruction surgery specifically for treating diabetic feet.
Typically, diabetic foot patients facing severe conditions, uncontrolled infections, or rapid tissue necrosis generally have no option but amputation. This means that amputation may no longer be the only choice for diabetic foot patients in the future.
To increase treatment options for diabetic foot, Singapore's Ng Teng Fong General Hospital introduced an innovative orthopedic surgery called "Transverse Tibia Transport" (TTT) for the first time in May this year. By increasing blood flow to the foot, this procedure prevents further tissue necrosis, reduces the risk of amputation, and reverses the progression of gangrene.
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is also the first hospital in Singapore to introduce this surgery. The hospital has completed 8 to 9 surgeries so far, with one patient being Neo Ming Jie.
Neo Ming Jie (43, self-employed) had initially been told he needed amputation, but now he has regained the ability to walk and is stepping back into normal life with his "new foot."
He said, "The result of not having surgery would be amputation, and the result of a failed surgery is also amputation, so I chose to at least give myself a chance to try."
Neo Ming Jie's foot wounds have healed well post-surgery, showing significant improvement, and the necrosis has been controlled.
Based on his trust in the medical team, Neo Ming Jie decided to undergo foot reconstruction surgery six weeks post-operation. This is the world's first case combining the transverse tibia transport surgery and foot reconstruction surgery, and it is also the world's first reconstructive surgery conducted on a diabetic foot.