Case History of Evelyn
Evelyn presented to an outside hospital in October 2005 following an episode of sudden onset weakness and collapse. She was transferred to UCLA after discovering a large meningioma (about 8 centimeters) in the frontal and temporal areas of her brain. A meningioma is a benign brain tumor. It was compressing critical structures and moving brain tissue aside, known as "mass effect".
She had a pre-operative angiogram that demonstrated a large number of blood vessels feeding the tumor and underwent pre-operative embolization (a technique used to insert a glue-like substance into some of the feeding blood vessels to simplify the surgery). Her surgery was very complex and she was in the operating room under the care of Dr. Neil Martin for fifteen hours.
After surgery, she spent two days in the intensive care unit for monitoring. She was subsequently transferred to the neurosurgical nursing floor and was evaluated by physical, speech, and occupational therapy. On the fifth day following her difficult surgery, she was discharged home only with the assistance of a walker for balance. She was free of major neurological deficits.
Evelyn was seen for several post-operative visits, most recently in March 2006. She made an amazing recovery. She regularly exercises, is without neurological deficits, and she is an active member of the community. She routinely engages in public speaking events about her experience. Her most recent MRI scan does not show any evidence of tumor recurrence. Normal brain tissue is slowly re-occupying the surgical cavity, a process that may take a few years.
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Pre-operative scan
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8-month post-operative scan
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Jennifer Varma, NP
