RG Kar cadaver bone grafting, 1st in E India, gives new life to 31-year-old
Times of India | 20 February 2026
Kolkata: A 31-year-old daily wage earner who sustained a distal femur bone fracture around 3 years ago is looking forward to getting his gait back after undergoing a procedure called an osteochondral allograft. The procedure, involving transplanting of a piece of bone and cartilage taken from a deceased person, was done at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Officials said this is the first time such a procedure was done in eastern India.
Rijauddin Mondal, a resident of Bira in North 24 Parganas, was knocked down by a truck in May 2023, causing an open distal femur fracture. He underwent 4 successive surgeries, including a patellar graft in July 2024 using the patient's own graft. However, these 4 surgeries could not save his limb. Doctors said the options left were either an orthopaedic implant to reconstruct the severe bone defect or amputation.
"But considering the age of the patient, we decided to conserve his knee by reconstruction of the distal femur by allograft procedure, and we approached the administration, which gave the funds," said orthopaedic surgeon Sanjay Kumar, dept head.
A CT scan and 3D model images of the patient's requirement were sent to a Hyderabad firm that deals in allografts, as an allograft from a fresh cadaver is not yet available in the state. The administration sanctioned a cost of Rs 2.4 lakh. The allograft underwent specific treatment before the surgery to make it compatible with the recipient and prevent rejection. The surgery and the anaesthesia team, including doctors Sunit Hazra, Sumanta Pal and Debojyoti, conducted the allograft fixation procedure on Tuesday under spinal anaesthesia. "We did a lot of research and assessment before we concluded that an osteochondral allograft was the best option. The patient is doing well," said Hazra.
"To our best knowledge, this is the 1st such procedure in eastern India," said forensic medicine specialist Saptarshi Chatterjee, MSVP, RGKMCH.