Lucknow, Nov. 3 -- In a four-hour procedure, surgeons at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) have replaced both hip joints of a 20-year-old man suffering from advanced ankylosing spondylitis, restoring his ability to stand and walk after the disease had virtually immobilised him. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can progressively affect the spine and large joints, particularly in young adults. The rare bilateral total hip replacement was performed in a single sitting using the direct anterior approach (DAA), a muscle-sparing technique that allowed the patient to bear full weight after surgery on October 27. The patient was discharged on November 2. The patient was Ankit Yadav from Ghazipur. Clinical examination revealed that his right hip had completely fused, while the left was partially fused. His right hip was fixed in a bent position of nearly 40 degrees and the left at around 10 degrees, severely compromising his ability to stand, walk and sit. Considering the extent of damage to both joints, doctors decided to replace both hips in one operation rather than subject him to two separate surgeries.htc...