ST. PAUL (March 17, 2009)—The video of a brain surgery that was expected to last only a few hours, but turned into a 25 hour marathon will debut April 14, 2009 at 1pm CDT on OR Live.

The edited video of the surgery, performed by Dr. Jerone Kennedy, a partner with United Neurosurgery Associates in the Nasseff Neuroscience Center at United Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, will take viewers on the medical odyssey that relieved a 27-year-old day care administrator of seizures that had taken over her life. The surgery features the use of a new intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) operating room at United Hospital. The iMRI allows surgeons to use real-time imaging as they operate.

Stephanie Becher, from Oakdale, Minnesota, started having seizures, not classic grand mal-style seizures, but more a strange feeling she can only describe as "intense déjà vu." These are characteristic of seizures that originate in the temporal lobe Kennedy explains.

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ST. PAUL (March 17, 2009)—The video of a brain surgery that was expected to last only a few hours, but turned into a 25 hour marathon will debut April 14, 2009 at 1pm CDT on OR Live.

The edited video of the surgery, performed by Dr. Jerone Kennedy, a partner with United Neurosurgery Associates in the Nasseff Neuroscience Center at United Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, will take viewers on the medical odyssey that relieved a 27-year-old day care administrator of seizures that had taken over her life. The surgery features the use of a new intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) operating room at United Hospital. The iMRI allows surgeons to use real-time imaging as they operate.

Stephanie Becher, from Oakdale, Minnesota, started having seizures, not classic grand mal-style seizures, but more a strange feeling she can only describe as "intense déjà vu." These are characteristic of seizures that originate in the temporal lobe Kennedy explains.

"I would feel like I was going temporarily nuts," she explains. "I'd look at something and I would feel like I'd seen it before. It would spin out of control."

An MRI scan of her brain revealed she had a cerebral AVM – arteriovenous malformation – a malformed collection of blood vessels characterized by a tangle of veins and arteries in the brain. The AVM, which was located in Becher's temporal lobe, was causing the unusual seizures.

Becher and her husband researched the best hospitals for treatment of her AVM and discovered that United Hospital had a nationally-respected neuroscience center. At his first meeting with the Bechers, Kennedy outlined treatment options for Becher's AVM: conventional surgery, radiation or doing nothing. Becher opted for the surgery.

"I just wanted to get it out," Becher said of her AVM. "I didn't want to live with that for the rest of my life."

Becher's procedure turned out to be more complicated than first predicted. "The AVM turned out to be unusually vascular," Kennedy explains. Becher was under sedation for nearly 25 hours. Kennedy used more than 100 titanium AVM clips during the course of removing the AVM from Becher's brain. During the surgery, Kennedy used the intraoperative MRI to check his progress and monitor for excessive bleeding. He says that the technology made Becher's surgery safer—and ultimately more successful.

About Nasseff Neuroscience Center
The Nasseff Neuroscience Center at United Hospital has grown dramatically into a nationally respected neuroscience center, adding key technologies, including intraoperative MRI (iMRI), magnetic source imaging and neurointerventional biplane, which provides a functional brain map the neurologist or neurosurgeon may use to evaluate the location of specific brain functions and consider surgical intervention as well as the mapping of epileptic foci.

About United Neurosurgery Associates
United Neurosurgery Associates is dedicated to the surgical care of patients with neurological disorders. The neurosurgeons at United Neurosurgery Associates are renowned for their expertise and technical skills. They have access to innovative and state-of-the-art techniques and equipment through Neuroscience United. United Neurosurgery Associates can be reached at 651-241-6550 and on the Internet at www.unitedhospital.com/ahs/united.nsf/page/UNA.

About United Hospital
United Hospital, the largest hospital in the Twin Cities east metro area, is a non-profit hospital providing a full range of health care services to more than 200,000 people each year. United offers a wide range of health services including a birth center, cardiac care in the Nasseff Heart Center, emergency care, oncology, orthopedics, neurosciences and epilepsy, a pain center, rehabilitation, medical imaging and surgery. More information about United Hospital, which is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, can be found on the Internet at www.unitedhospital.com.

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