Liverpool surgeon in chimp operation first

May 20 2008 by Staff Reporter, Liverpool Daily Post

A UNIVERSITY of Liverpool surgeon has performed groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon.

The chimp, named Janet, was rescued from a black market ring, suffering with a crippling deformity in her forearm preventing her from climbing.

Janet was rescued by the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund or CWAF who brought her to Rob Petittit for the life changing surgery.

It was believed her injury, usually found in dogs, known as angular limb deformity was congenital, but could have been aggravated by being chained at the wrist.

Rob Petittit, orthopaedic surgeon at Liverpool university’s small animal teaching hospital, said: “Surgery to correct the condition in dogs is less complex than the procedure in chimps. In dogs, bone tissue stops growing early in life. In chimps and humans, the end of the bones can stay open for years, so there is plenty of time for the condition to return.” Petittit removed a 14mm triangular piece of bone from Janet’s arm before placing a plate in the joint to secure both ends of the arm.