By Nicole Flatow
A 42-year-old Greek woman is expected to return to her native Athens fully recovered from delicate brain tumor surgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Manhasset.
The tumor that brought Nikolia Morati to New York was one-fifth of the brain's volume – about the size of a pear. It was located in a particularly critical region at the base of the brain, where the cartoid artery supplies the brain and eye nerves with life-sustaining blood.
“I've operated on about 100 tumors like hers, but hers was the largest at the base of the brain,” said neurosurgeon Laligam N. Sekhar. “I was more concerned that we get the tumor out completely. It turned out very well. It's a very complex operation.”
The surgery required for that type of malignant tumor was too complex for Greek surgeons to approach. Morati was flown into New York about a month ago after the Greek government arranged for Morati to be operated on by Sekhar.
“The nice thing about Greece is that they send patients out for surgery,” Sekhar said.
Sekhar joined North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center a few weeks ago as the vice chairman of neurosurgery and director of the Skull Base Surgery and Cerebrovascular Centers at the Hospital. Only Sekhar and a few other doctors – mostly his former students from George Washington Medical Center - are able to perform brain surgeries of this nature.
“She is literally my first operation here,” Sekhar said.
A week and a half after her second surgery, Morati was able to entertain a room of reporters and medical staff in her hospital room. She walked around the room easily, dressed in a flowered silk nightgown and robe. She said the only glaring symptom she was still experiencing was numbness on the right side of her face. It is the numbness that caused her to see double out of her right eye and made it difficult for her to smile. But she tried anyway.
Morati was up and walking around as of two days after the surgery. Sekhar said that kind of quick recovery is expected, and even encouraged. He said there can be more severe complications if patients stay sedentary.
“She is doing remarkably well at this time,” Sekhar said. He expects a full recovery.
Morati has spent most of her first visit to the United States in her hospital room, but the one activity she found time for was a shopping spree. Morati plans to return home to her 4-year old son bearing toys from “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid” she purchased at Toys R Us.
Morati is anxious to return home both to see her son and resume her post as a French teacher in a public school.
Before Morati was diagnosed with a tumor, she experienced vision loss as often as four times a day. She also suffered from extreme fatigue, muscle tightness and numbness on her right side and legs, headaches and weight gain. After five months and an MRI, doctors detected the tumor.
“In retrospect, she might have had symptoms for about two years,” Sekhar said.
Once Greek doctors realized the severity of the tumor, they insisted Morati be treated by Sekhar in the United States.
“The public sector knows that they cannot do it there or in Europe,” Morati said. “One doctor said to me, 'if the Greek doctors respect you, they will not attempt this themselves.'”
Her doctors knew Sekhar was the surgeon to perform this type of procedure.
Sekhar developed some of his own techniques for this surgery, including reconstructive surgery at the end that eliminates any cosmetic deformity.
Before joining North Shore-LIJ, Dr. Sekhar was chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and director of the Neurological Institute at George Washington University. He came to the United States after completing his medical degree at Madras University in his native India.
In spite of the reason for Morati's trip to New York, Morati said she is enjoying her stay–mostly because she feels the staff at North Shore-LIJ have made her feel right at home.
“It's unbelievable for me. I didn't realize they are very kind. It's like I know them,” she said.
One nurse has offered to cook for Morati once she is released from the hospital to stay in a hotel for a few days before returning to Greece.
Reach reporter Nicole Flatow by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
