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As I reported in last month's
issue, on March 16th a live Chiari surgery was broadcast over the
internet. In case you missed it, you can still view it by visiting:
www.or-live.com
You will need to go to the archives. You can look it up by date
(3/16). I wasn't sure how I was
going to respond to seeing the surgery (having gone through the surgery
myself), especially since the patient was a child, but I found it to be
very informative and worthwhile. As I watched Dr. Fletcher
work (a neurologist answered emailed questions from viewers), I was struck
by a couple of things: 1.
Chiari decompression surgery is incredibly invasive. Somehow seeing
it happen brought this home. I have written numerous times about how
invasive it is and felt that way after my surgery, but the visual is very
powerful. Seeing the muscles cut, the dura opened, and seeing the
way the surgeon poked around inside made me realize that patients should
try to brace themselves for how traumatic this can be and what their
recovery might entail. 2.
Several neurosurgeons have told me that decompression surgery is
technically simple. I never quite knew what they meant, isn't it
brain surgery after all? Isn't the failure rate between 15%-20%?
After seeing what is involved, I think I understand what they mean.
I'm not sure what I expected, but given a neurosurgeon's education and
training, I can see how the actual act of the surgery can seem simple.
It is after all fairly straightforward. I think this is good news
for Chiari patients. While right now picking the right surgeon seems
to be very important, with enough research to answer the questions
regarding what techniques to use, picking the right surgeon may become
less important in the future. 3. I
was really surprised by how much the cerebellar tonsils pulsed (with the
heartbeat). I knew they did, yet somehow I didn't realize how much.
This was a sedated child lying down. I imagined what happens in an
adult running or straining. It seems obvious how if the dura is
tight or if the tonsils are pressing on other tissue bad things will
happen, especially during coughing, exercise, or straining.
I'm really interested to hear what other people thought about seeing the
surgery. Drop me a line and let me know at
editor@chiari-syringo-news.org
On a separate and more serious
note, George DiClemente from Matins Ferry, Ohio passed away on March 18th
at the age of 76. The DiClemente family asked that memorial
contributions be made to this Foundation. George's many friends and
family responded by generously donating close to $1,000.
I want to extend my personal condolences to the DiClemente family and
thank them for thinking of others in their time of grief.
-- Rick Labuda
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