Veronica D. spends her time with her husband and her son, Elijah, and works as a training specialist for a logistics company in North Sewickley Township. She had never worn glasses and had never had trouble with her eyes. Then she began to notice a small loss of vision in her left eye. Soon her right eye started to go as well.
An MRI revealed the cause: a tumor pressing on her optic nerves and taking her sight. The diagnosis was frightening. Her first thoughts were of her husband and her son, and of how much her life might change.
At the UPMC Center for Cranial Base Surgery, Georgios Zenonos, MD, met with Veronica and worked to put her at ease, explaining that the tumor appeared to be non-cancerous and could be treated with the endoscopic endonasal approach. He pulled up a chair, sat down beside her, and walked her through exactly how the operation would go.
The endoscopic endonasal approach was pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh. Rather than an open craniotomy, it reaches the base of the skull through the nasal corridor or small incisions beneath the lip, a safer and less invasive route. The center follows a team model that pairs neurosurgeons with otolaryngology colleagues. Garret W. Choby, MD, would first create the surgical passageway, and Dr. Zenonos would then remove the tumor. Veronica remembers being struck by how far medicine had come, and said the way the team approached everything left her confident she was in good hands.
Recovery was the hardest part, and it took time. "It was just excruciating pain," she said. "I don't want to go through it again, but I'm glad I did."
Today, Veronica has 20/20 vision back in her right eye. She is no longer considered legally blind in her left eye, and that vision has continued to return. She is grateful for the time, the expertise, and the care she received. "I'm just a brand new woman," she said. For Dr. Zenonos, telling a patient that the team will get them the best care possible, and then watching them return to a normal life, is among the greatest joys of the work.
View UPMC's article on Veronica's journey here.