Easier Brain Surgery

LOS ANGELES (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Brain surgery is something most people would shudder at. But it's something many people with tumors, cysts or other growths will have to endure. Now a procedure makes brain surgery easier on the patient ... and the doctor.

Paul Santos has spent the last five years flying as a proud member of the U.S. Navy. But four months ago, Santos faced a challenge that could have changed all that. "They told me, 'You're 23 years old, and you're going into brain surgery.'"

He had a painful cyst in his brain that affected his vision. Doctors said he needed a craniotomy, which meant cutting a large hole into his skull. Determined to keep his pilot status, Santos was ready for anything. "It sounded like such a butcher job, but I told them sign me up," he says.

But a chance encounter with a friend led Santos to neurosurgeon John Frazee, M.D., at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where his friend's mother had the same type of cyst removed with a new procedure.

"We're making a tiny hole, probably the size of a nickel, through the bone itself, so there's a little incision," Dr. Frazee tells Ivanhoe. He developed this small endoscope, which has taken brain surgery from a large hole to a small hole.

"This is really great," Dr. Frazee says. "I mean, how often can you take an idea, develop it, and actually then bring it and apply it to a patient? I mean, that's something that you don't get to do very often." The smaller incision means less blood loss, a faster recovery, and less pain.

Today, his pain is gone. Santos says, "I don't really feel like a million bucks. But I'm almost there ... maybe 750,000 bucks ... still pretty good.

It just seems like nothing's changed. I mean, goals are still there. I still have my goals to work toward," and his ultimate goal is to get back in the pilot's seat.

The endoscope that Dr. Frazee developed is even named after him. He says this technique can work on many types of bran surgeries, but those that involve large tumors are still a problem. However, he says, that's something they're "working on."

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Shaun Consiglio
Division of Neurosurgery
UCLA Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310) 206-1231