© Paul Foguenne - CHL
After a two-year administrative battle that reached the French presidency, a 12-year-old girl from Lunéville has finally received a life-changing knee surgery in Luxembourg.
A 12-year-old French girl has successfully undergone a rare meniscus transplant in the Grand Duchy, a procedure performed by specialist orthopaedic surgeon Professor Romain Seil.
The case of Louise-Fleur Perrot, which has drawn significant media attention across the Greater Region, concludes a long administrative and medical journey for her family.
Louise-Fleur was born with a knee malformation and suffered from chronic pain. Her mother, Charlotte Perrot from Lunéville, France, initiated a prolonged campaign for her daughter to receive the specialised operation in Luxembourg, appealing to French health authorities and even the Élysée Palace to secure coverage from the French health insurance fund.
The effort was successful. The surgery was performed by Romain Seil on Thursday, 4 September, at the CHL's Eich clinic.
Seil, one of the few specialists in Europe who performs this procedure, noted its rarity. "In each major European country, there are only between three and five centres where this type of procedure is performed," he said. He explained that a recent French law, which prohibits adult surgeons from operating on children in private clinics, had left Louise-Fleur's case "in a void."
The young patient was referred to the Luxembourgish surgeon by Professor Frank Wein from Nancy. "It was a long obstacle course for the mother, but the French authorities finally agreed to fund this procedure in Luxembourg," Professor Wein stated, adding, "You see, in practice we are building Europe... We're not there yet!"
Our colleagues from RTL Infos were granted exclusive access to document the operation, which is exceptionally rare in paediatric and adolescent cases.
© Paul Foguenne - CHL
Seil explained the medical necessity of the operation. "The meniscus is a shock absorber between two bones in the knee," he stated. In Louise-Fleur's case, a congenital anomaly in the lateral meniscus led to its removal after a tear at age six. Six years without this cushion resulted in pain and impact damage to the cartilage from the femur and tibia grinding together.
The procedure, a meniscal allograft, is a highly specialised operation.
"We proceed in a minimally invasive way, arthroscopically," Seil explained. "This means we use a small camera and make a two- to three-centimetre incision to insert the graft." The transplanted meniscus, sourced from a European donor, is of a type more commonly used in the United States.
© RTL
Contacted by RTL Infos the day after the surgery, Louise-Fleur's mother, Charlotte, expressed relief at its success, though she noted a two-year observation period is required to monitor for potential graft rejection.
"It was still hard," Charlotte admitted, "It's difficult to see Louise-Fleur in pain, especially as physiotherapy has already begun. Every day is a small victory. We're tired, but we're happy."
While the outcome is positive, the extensive administrative hurdles faced by the family highlight a systemic issue. Seil advocates for a streamlined European approach. "For this type of rare procedure, I think we should consider European solutions, which would be supranational," he said, "This would facilitate this type of procedure, as is done in other fields."
