The first vertebral body tethering procedure was performed on Salma Naser Nawayseh, centre, with her parents, at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The first vertebral body tethering procedure was performed on Salma Naser Nawayseh, centre, with her parents, at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The first vertebral body tethering procedure was performed on Salma Naser Nawayseh, centre, with her parents, at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The first vertebral body tethering procedure was performed on Salma Naser Nawayseh, centre, with her parents, at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai

Dubai schoolgirl walking two days after innovative spinal operation


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

A Dubai schoolgirl born with a spinal deformity is the first in the UAE to benefit from a non-invasive corrective procedure to stop a progressive condition that would have worsened as she grew.

The first vertebral body tethering operation was performed on Salma Naser Nawayseh, 13, on Saturday at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai.

The Jordanian teenager was diagnosed with scoliosis in April, when her parents first noticed an unusual curve in her spine. The condition typically appears as children grow into their teens.

Due to her condition, Salma suffered a deformity of the back with a shortening of the trunk, a lower back hump, an unlevelled pelvis and back pain that stopped her playing sports and moving freely.

Salma started walking the second day after surgery. We are happy that our daughter was eligible for this surgery
Naser Nawayseh,
Salma's father

The innovative procedure uses a flexible cord rather than metal rods to straighten the curvature of the spine.

“As opposed to spinal surgeries that involve cutting into the back and manipulating the spinal cord and nerve roots, in this surgery we make discreet incisions in the abdomen through the endoscope,” said Dr Firas Husban, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.

“The tether puts pressure on the outside, allowing the inside of the spinal curve to grow.

“Because VBT is minimally invasive, there is little trauma to the delicate tissues of your back.

“As a result, there is less blood loss, less post-operative pain and speedier recovery time.”

After two weeks, Salma will be able to go back to school and after four weeks return to full activity with no restrictions and start playing sports again.

Usually, doctors would have to correct the condition with spinal fusion surgery by inserting metal screws and rods.

Salma Naser Nawayseh, 13, had a spinal deformity that would continue to restrict her growth and movement without a new corrective procedure performed in the UAE.
Salma Naser Nawayseh, 13, had a spinal deformity that would continue to restrict her growth and movement without a new corrective procedure performed in the UAE.

The procedure limits mobility and growth, so specialists looked at an alternative minimally invasive procedure that is new to the UAE.

The vertebral body tethering was approved in 2019 in the US, and uses discreet incisions in the abdomen through an endoscope to fix a flexible cord to the spine.

The tether costs about $45,000 and is applied to the outside of the curve through bone screws, then tension is applied to straighten the spine.

It allows for faster recovery, continued growth without a fusion procedure and also preserves motion and flexibility.

While scoliosis affects 2 to 3 per cent of the population, most cases are mild and do not require invasive treatment.

If left untreated, however, moderate to severe scoliosis can lead to pain, increasing deformity, as well as potential heart and lung problems.

Corrective surgery is essential in cases such as Salma’s, where patients have large curves of 45 to 65 degrees.

As she had not reached full skeletal maturity yet, she was the perfect candidate for the procedure, and was able to walk days after the operation.

Her parents hope she can soon get back on to the tennis court to get back to playing the sport she loves.

“Salma started walking the second day after surgery,” said her father, Naser Nawayseh.

“We are happy that our daughter was eligible for this surgery.

“We look forward to our daughter holding the racket again and resuming tennis."

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Dubai World Cup prize money

Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf –  $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000

About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
Inside%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKelsey%20Mann%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Amy%20Poehler%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%2C%20Ayo%20Edebiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre V6

Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km

Price: Dh179,999-plus

On sale: now 

KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Company%20Profile
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New schools in Dubai
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Updated: July 06, 2022, 8:40 AM`