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Surgery
at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Provides New Hope for Teenager Injured in Bombing
Surgery
Team at NYEEI Remove Shrapnel Lodged Near Brain
New York (July 2002) -- Sergey
Zvezdin, a teenager who
was severely injured during the terrorist bombing of a city bus in Haifa,
Israel, was given a new lease on life after surgery at The New York Eye and
Ear Infirmary to remove a metal fragment lodged in an almost inoperable
position.
The young
man and his mother were brought to America for treatment after coming to the
attention of Daniel Igor Branovan, M.D., director of otolaryngology resident
education at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Last
December Sergey was on his way to getting a haircut when a bomber blew himself
up, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens of others. Then 16 and a
promising athlete, Sergey suffered a concussion and punctured eardrum and was
hit by shrapnel that included a metal bolt.
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The bolt
passed within a millimeter of several large vessels and nerves, and lodged
itself deep in the tissues of the face, close to the brain. Unfortunately,
Israeli surgeons had decided the bolt was in a position too risky to remove
and the trapped shard remained a persistent source of headaches and
psychological trauma.
Using
image guided CT scanning technology available at only at the most specialized
medical centers, Dr. Branovan and colleague Anthony Sclafani, MD, a facial
plastic surgeon in the department of otolaryngology, undertook the
several-hour operation. Starting with a small incision at the top of the
head, just behind the hairline, and guided by computer, doctors worked behind
the major facial bones to find the fragment and successfully remove it. They
also repaired other injuries such as the damaged eardrum.
With no
more than a small bandage to show for all the complexity of the surgery, a
smiling young man and his thrilled mother were discharged from The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary within days. In addition to the technology that made such a recovery possible,
Dr. Branovan said, "We hope Sergey's visit and surgery may be seen as a
reflection of the generosity of the people of New York City toward victims of
terrorist bombings."
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