No abstract

No abstract

through the veins and arteries. Once the neck region was entered, an iodine containing dye was inserted into the catheter and the flow of blood in the neck area could be monitored on the TV screens. This revealed a hole in one of the arteries or veins in front of the spinal cord. (This particular problem is called a fistula and was probably a congenital problem that fmally surfaced.) Next came the discussions of what to do and how to do it.On Wednesdav the decision was made to perform another angiogram but this time its purpose was to shut off the flow of blood to this artem. The angioeram was scheduled for Thursday morning. A; 900 AMh'was whisked off to start the procedure. For the next two hours a slow blockage of the artery was performed in the following manner. First the catheter was inserted from the groin to the neck area and positioned just in front of the fistula. Then roughly one inch longsilk threads, that had been soaked in a oolvvinvl alcohol solution. were inserted into the cathete; and lodged in the a r t e i just in front of the fistula. As these threads formed a blockage in the artery, the polyvinyl alcohol caused the blood to clot and seal off the artery past the point of the blockage. As the artery was sealed off and blood clotting continued, the artery that had caused the paralysis was effectively rendered useless. This decreased the pressure on the spinal cord so that osmotic forces could begin removing the blood from the spinal cord area.Friday morning the physical therapist arrived and for the first time in a week my son walked a little on his own. On Mondav a third aneioeram showed that the blockage was compl& and discharge from the hospital followed i n Tuesdav. Further ~hvsical theraov took up the remainder of this week and b n Sunday, two weeks after the initial event, my son returned home. By Tuesday he was hack in school full time. He walked slowly and hesitantly to class, but he walked on his own.Every time that I have told this story, the response has been that it is a miracle of modem medicine, which it certainly is. But there is another miracle here that we teachers need to inform our students of and that is the miracle of some old, middle-aged, and modern chemistry and physics. Not that many sears ago my son would have been writ-. .ten-offas unsalr&able because we could not see what his problem was nor get to the arca to fix it. Now with X-rays. What this experience has brought to my attentionis that neurosurgeons are the hands of modern medicine and the miracles that it can make. The spinal cord of modem medicine is chemistry and physics. If the blood supply to the spinal cord is choked off, as we fear will happen in this era of lack of interest in the phvsical sciences. then the ultimate result will he of modem medicine. That is whv it is imwrtant that we teach chemistrv and ohvsics and do a gobd job a t it. Our students must real&e-that chemists and physicists are every bit as important to the recovery of my son's health as the neurosurgeons that applied the fruits of the labo...

No abstract

No abstract