Nurosurgeons at Pirogov Hospital Save Pregnant Woman and Her Unborn Child After Road Crash

Neurosurgeons at Pirogov University Emergency Hospital have successfully carried out emergency surgery on a 39-year-old pregnant woman who suffered a traumatic lumbar vertebral fracture and neurological symptoms following a road traffic accident.

A week ago, a multidisciplinary team of specialists in neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and anaesthesiology convened urgently to assess the patient’s highly specialised imaging results. The team decided that immediate surgical intervention was necessary to prevent further neurological deterioration and the risk of permanent nerve damage.

The operation was performed using a minimally invasive technique and a state-of-the-art robotic spinal surgery system by Dr Petar Ilkov and Associate Professor Nikolay Velinov from Pirogov’s Neurosurgery Clinic.

Throughout her treatment, the patient was jointly monitored by specialists from the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, led by Dr Lyudmil Dzhunkov. The team actively supervised the pregnancy both before and after the operation.

“Despite the increased complexity of such cases, arising from both the spinal injury and the pregnancy, the operation was completed successfully and without complications. During the postoperative period, the neurological symptoms showed signs of reversal, while follow-up examinations indicate that both the patient and the foetus are in good overall condition,” said Dr Ilkov, Head of the Department of Spinal Neurosurgery at the hospital.

Associate Professor Velinov, Head of the Adult Neurosurgery Department, described the case as an example of successful cooperation between different medical specialties in the treatment of complex and high-risk patients, as well as a demonstration of the capabilities of modern minimally invasive spinal surgery.

After one week of hospital treatment, the patient is being discharged home today. Her condition will continue to be monitored by the neurosurgery and obstetrics and gynaecology teams.