"A hundred years ago they wouldn't of known." Stephen and Jill Abbott have always shared a love of history. "To me 1960 doesn't seem to be that far away." That's because they were part of it. Stephen's 27-year army career took them around the world.
Stephen Abbott, had brain tumor. "I spent a year in Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict." Retirement agreed with them, until Stephen's hearing started to go. A simple hearing aid appointment led to a shocking discovery. "They did an MRI and found that I had a brain tumor. I was flabbergasted."
A tumor the size of a plum was attached to one of the major veins draining blood from Stephen's brain. Instead of cutting it out with traditional tools, Doctor Andrew Fishman used a pen-shaped carbon dioxide laser. Originally designed for the department of defense to reflect enemy laser beams, the fiber-optic device now allows surgeons to melt and shave off tumors.
Dr. Andrew Fishman, professor of otolaryngology, "We're really able to almost brush stroke the surface with only a minimal effect on the brain tissue." Traditionally, lasers were too bulky for brain surgery and could only be used at straight angles. Surgeons say this device speeds up surgery, which means smaller incisions and quicker recoveries. Stephen went home five days after his brain surgery. "The body can overcome a lot of things a lot more difficult that one might imagine." A tough military man who refused to surrender to any kind of enemy -- even a brain tumor.
It took about an hour to remove Stephen's entire tumor. The laser is also being used in spinal surgery, head and neck procedures and hearing restoration.
