Albert Telfeian, MD, has performed the first reported case of extracting the tumor endoscopically under a local anesthetic and while the patient was awake.
Here are five key notes:
1. Dr. Telfeian is a neurosurgeon at Rhode Island Hospital and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Hasbro Children's Hospital, both located in Providence.
2. The tumor was compressing the 16-year-old patient's spinal cord behind her heart. "When favorable conditions exist, like they did here situated in or adjacent to the neural foramen, this transforaminal endoscopic approach offers a minimally invasive option without general anesthesia. The blood loss was minimal and the patient was on her feet and discharged within 24 hours," said Dr. Telfeian.
3. According to Dr. Telfeian, the patient being awake is beneficial, as the patient can report to the surgeon the sensations of pain and numbness as well as cooperate in motor testing during the procedure.
4. Dr. Telfeian completed fellowship training in spine and functional epilepsy surgery at Switzerland's Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
5. The case report of the procedure was published online in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery and will appear in the July 2015 issue.