Patient Case Studies - Brain Surgery

• Genetic Cavernous Malformation
• Colloid Cyst

Genetic Cavernous Malformation

"We are cautious and very aware that this is a genetic problem," explains Richard Hernandez, a 54-year-old construction worker plagued by recurring cavernous malformations.

Hernandez recounts a disturbing family battle with this often fatal brain malformation. "My mother died in 1972 of a cerebral hemorrhage and her sister, my aunt, died eight months later from the same disease. We now know that they both suffered from the same genetic problem that my sister and I also share."

After five surgeries over a 10-year period, all performed by Robert Spetzler, MD, Hernandez's sister was very familiar with the disease and referred her brother to Dr. Spetzler at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, when he began having difficulty with his vision. Hernandez suffered from a CM in the hearing nerve on the left ear and subsequently from a new brainstem cavernous malformation. While he is now deaf in his left ear, he is again healthy and on the go. "Dr. Spetzler is in the family so to speak. He is one of the best in the world and we ask for him each time. Because my sister had success with him and because I have a lot of faith, I put my faith in God and Dr. Spetzler."

Hernandez goes on to say that Dr. Spetzler explained the entire procedure step by step. "He is very patient and very intelligent. Afterward, Dr. Spetzler told me they used a computer with a probe in the surgery." This computer, the StealthStation^® TREON^® Treatment Guidance System, helped Dr. Spetzler visualize this deep-seated cavernous malformation and resect it. So far, Hernandez is feeling good after his latest surgery last May. He no longer has vision problems or any other symptoms. He will continue to see Dr. Spetzler once a year for a follow-up MRI or if any symptoms recur.

Colloid Cyst

“We were lucky to find my cyst when we did,” marvels 30-year-old Gerard “Tripper” McDonough, explaining how a colloid cyst in his third ventricle was spotted during a visit to an ENT surgeon.

McDonough’s ENT surgeon spotted an oddity on his CT scan and shared it with a neurosurgeon at Illinois Masonic Medical Center. An MRI confirmed that McDonough had a 2cm colloid cyst in the third ventricle. “I saw six neurosurgeons before I found Dr. Chandler at Northwestern Medical Center,” recalls McDonough. “I chose him because of his strong reputation and a referral from a friend who is a physician’s assistant to a neurosurgeon in New York. Dr. Chandler also maintained a very clear and open line of communication, which was very important to me.”

James Chandler, MD, a Northwestern Memorial neurosurgeon, explained to McDonough that, because the cyst was 2cm and it was found accidentally, it was advisable to remove it sooner than later. The purpose of removing the cyst was preventive, Dr. Chandler explained. If it grew and blocked spinal fluid through the ventricles it could stop the flow in the brain and sudden death could occur. McDonough had one more obstacle in front of him before Dr. Chandler could perform the surgery - he had to have his second ENT surgery to clear up a sinus infection and avoid any complications during the cyst removal.

One month later, after a nerve-racking time working a high-pressure job as a clerk at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, McDonough underwent surgery. Using the StealthStation^® Treatment Guidance System, Dr. Chandler “went in between my two brain hemispheres to remove the cyst and he used live 3D pictures during surgery to find the best angle and place to go in,” explains McDonough. “I am very happy that we took the cyst out when we did because it had tissue growing around it and was therefore bigger than the 2cm as shown on the MRI. After a surprisingly short hospital stay of three days, and about a month of recovery time, I saw Dr. Chandler for a follow-up visit and he said I looked great!”

NOTE: Each experience described here is specific to a particular patient.  Results vary and every response is not the same. Patients should always talk with their doctors to see if they may benefit from this therapy and for a full review of indications and side effects.