Saving Sam From A Tumor Called JNA

MIAMI, Fla. (American Health Newswire) -- It's cold and flu season, and that means a lot of us will start suffering symptoms like nasal congestion and sinus headaches. But sometimes, in teenage boys, those simple symptoms can be a warning sign of something much more serious -- an aggressive tumor called JNA. Removing these tumors once meant invasive, open surgery, but now, doctors have pioneered a new approach that can remove these tumors without a single external incision.

For 14-year-old Sam Tessenholtz, the shortest distance from the driveway to the hoop is a quick jump shot. His aim isn't always on target, but he's grateful his surgeon's was. Last April, doctor Ramzi Younis discovered a large tumor against Sam's eye socket, pressing on his brain.

"They said it was like a mini tennis ball in my nasal cavity. I didn't want to imagine it," Sam Tessenholtz told American Health.

Instead of cutting directly into Sam's face, doctor Younis performed an innovative procedure going in through the nose -- using a new embolizing material called Onyx to cut off the tumor's blood supply.

"We identify the tumor with our scope, go and inject, so instead of going through the main supplying vessel, we go through the tumor, and it goes all over," Ramzi Younis, M.D., pediatric otolaryngologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, explained.

Surgeons were able to remove the large tumor through the nose without a single external incision. To Sam's dad, it was nothing short of incredible.

"The amazing part is they were able to not disfigure him and take the tennis ball out of his head," Steve Tessenholtz said.

"The good news is it's out, and I'm normal, and I can breathe," Sam said.

Thanks to successful surgery, this teenager is now back in the game. JNA is a rare type of tumor, most commonly affecting teenage boys. These tumors are usually benign and once removed, they don't come back. Just what causes these tumors is still unclear.

Easy Way To Relieve Back And Leg Pain

SYRACUSE, NY (American Health Newswire) -- Americans spend at least 50 billion dollars a year on low back pain alone. Lumbar spinal stenosis -- a common cause of lower back and leg pain -- is the most common reason for surgery in people age 60 and over. Now, doctors are studying an effective and relatively easy  way to relieve people of the pain.

As a full-time nurse with five children, Cheryl Dote spends a lot of time on her feet. For the last four years, she's done that with debilitating back and leg pain.

"I would be in tears some nights," Cheryl Dote told American Health.

She tried physical therapy, pain relievers and pain injections, but the pain always won.

"I actually thought I was going to end up in a wheelchair," Cheryl said.

Like more than a million other Americans, she has lumbar spinal stenosis. In her search for help, she found Upstate Medical University doctor Richard Tallarico.

"In the most aggressive forms, patients can't stand to walk for even a few minutes, so it's very functionally disabling," Richard Tallarico, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon at Upstate Medical University said.

Standing or walking compresses the spine and pinches the nerves, causing pain. Patients only get relief when they're sitting or stooped over. Now, doctor Tallarico and a team of doctors is studying the Superion Spacer to relieve the pain.

"Compared to what we've had in the past, this is a much easier way to approach this from both the surgeon and the patient perspective," Dr. Tallarico said.

First, surgeons make a half-inch incision in the back. The Spacer is inserted where it's needed and acts like a wedge, which permanently spreads open the spinal canal. "It allows the spine to remain in a flexed position, mimicking the sitting position,

" Dr. Tallarico said.Cheryl had the Spacer put in and says the relief she feels changed her life."It was 100 percent better," Cheryl said. "It's still 100 percent better." Now, her focus is on her kids, instead of her pain.

The Spacer is still under study, and the trial is open to patients across the country. If study results hold up, doctors hope this will get FDA approval and be available to the masses within three years.