On March 9th, 2004, My Life Changed Forever
Cathy was 44-years-old in March of 2004 when she developed left upper extremity numbness and stiffness accompanied by left-sided facial spasms making it difficult for her to speak. She was seen at a local community hospital emergency room where a CT scan of her brain revealed a 3x4 right frontal mass. She was immediately transferred to the UCLA emergency department where diagnosis was confirmed with a contrasted brain MRI. Cathy was diagnosed with a meningioma.
A meningioma is most often a benign tumor in 85-95% of cases. It originates from mesoderm and infrequently invades the brain. They are more common in women than men at a ratio of 2:1.
Two days following admission to the hospital, Cathy underwent surgical resection of her meningioma. Complete resection of the tumor was achieved without any residual symptoms. Her hospital course was uncomplicated and she was discharged 4 days following the surgery. She did not require radiation treatment as is often the case following surgical resection.
Two years later, Cathy remains symptom-free and her most recent MRI seen below continues to show complete resection of the tumor without further recurrence. She has remained seizure-free. She is back to golfing and working full time as a TV producer. She has complete control of the motor functioning of her left arm.
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Preoperative MRI March 2004
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Immediate Postoperative MRI
(3 days out) Nearly 2 years
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Nearly 2 years postoperativel (2006)
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By Rosemarie Lara, NP
