The Surgery that Changed Maria’s Life

For Maria Darin (51), a resident of Or Akiva, everyday activities like sitting in a chair, bending her leg, or even walking short distances had always been accompanied by pain. At the age of 50, she decided that enough was enough. • In complex surgery, surgeons from the Orthopedic Division’s Joint Replacement Unit at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center replaced her right hip joint, the same joint that had been operated on numerous times throughout her life. The surgery gave her a new lease on life, one where pain was no longer a given. 

Years of suffering, pain and searching for a surgeon willing to operate

"When I was two years old, in Russia, I had a serious fall, after which I underwent multiple surgeries until the age of 15. Over the years I’ve lived with the injury. I immigrated to Israel, got married and had two children. As the years passed, the pain kept getting worse. I could no longer sit comfortably. Walking was difficult, and bending my legs was just impossible. A year ago, at the age of 50, I decided that I'd had enough and that I was done suffering," Maria said. "I saw a doctor, and the recommendation was to operate on my left hip joint. It had also become deformed after years of limping and that was the reason for some of the pain." 

The left hip surgery was successful, but the pain continued. Her right hip joint, which had been operated on countless times throughout her life, was also deformed. The surrounding tissue scarred, and the bone mass and volume significantly reduced. Years of wear had resulted in a restricted range of motion, and the pain grew worse over time. Hip flexion was limited, as was her ability to walk. All of these issues had taken a serious toll on Maria's quality of life. 

Maria began searching for a physician willing to operate on the "other side," a task that proved extremely challenging. As noted above, her right hip had already been operated on dozens of times, and the risk of injury during surgery leading to even greater damage and disability was significant. Maria and her family began looking overseas for a surgeon willing to take on the challenge. 

Back on her feet and pain-free - Maria with the physicians of the Orthopedic Division at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center

The solution — close to home

The challenge landed on the doorstep of Dr. Gil Eyal, a senior physician in the Joint Replacement Unit of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center's Orthopedic Division - close to home for Maria. 

"When I saw her X-rays and understood her history, I immediately contacted the unit director, Dr. Snir Heller," said Dr. Eyal. "We both agreed that this was an extraordinarily complex case given that the joint had been operated on so many times, with so much scarring, fragile tissue and significant anatomical deformity. But we decided we were going to help her improve her quality of life. We sat down together with Dr. Alex Vionenko, also a senior physician in the Orthopedic Division, and developed a precise, detailed surgical plan that took every possible risk into account. We knew there was a great deal of risk involved, and to be honest, it was easy to understand why other surgeons had been reluctant to take those risks, which entailed a real possibility of leaving a relatively young woman with an even greater functional limitation." 

The risk paid off, and Maria is back on her feet – in every sense

Last week, Maria came into the department for a follow-up visit, accompanied by her daughter. She was standing on both feet, using a cane, but sitting down, bending and, most importantly, not in pain. Dr. Gil Eyal examined her leg. He flexed it and asked her to stand, sit and bend. She did everything with a smile, boasting about her range of motion and the absence of pain. 

Dr. Heller and Dr. Vionenko, both part of the surgical team, couldn't resist stepping into the clinic to say hello to their grateful patient. 

"I had surgery six weeks ago, am still in the middle of rehabilitation, and I have no pain," she says with a modest smile. "For almost 50 years, I never had a day free of pain. There were things I had stopped dreaming I'd ever be able to do again.” 

Dr. Eyal, Dr. Heller and Dr. Vionenko look at her and smile as well. "Where others saw only risk, we saw possibility. Our ability to come together and deliver a solution this surgically complex - to us that is the very essence of medicine."