Latest news with #KarlaFlores
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
A misplaced MRI found a tumor on her spine. Doctors removed it through her eye in a first-of-its-kind surgery.
Karla Flores was 18 when she started experiencing double vision. She knew something was wrong but struggled to find a diagnosis. Finally, she saw an ophthalmologist who referred her to a neurosurgeon. Flores, then 19, was diagnosed with a chordoma wrapped around her brain stem. Chordomas are incredibly rare — only about 300 are diagnosed per year in the United States, according to the Cleveland Clinic — and they are slow-growing, malignant tumors. The tumor was putting pressure on multiple of Flores' cranial nerves, said Dr. Mohammed Labib, a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center who led her treatment. Labib developed a complex surgical plan that required two surgeries to remove the tumor without damaging the delicate nerves. When Flores underwent an MRI the morning of the first surgery, the technician positioned the camera a little lower than necessary. When looking at the scans, Labib realized Flores had a second chordoma. This one was at the top of her spine, at the front of her spinal cord. It was wrapped around her spinal cord and had invaded the vertebrae in her neck, Labib said. "They told me if they hadn't seen it, I could have been paralyzed," Flores told CBS News. The two chordomas. Karla Flores was first diagnosed with a chordoma on her brain stem (the center red mass). She was then diagnosed with a second chordoma on her spinal cord (the lower red mass). University of Maryland Medical Center Despite the startling discovery, Labib decided to go ahead with the procedures to remove Flores' first chordoma. The tumor was successfully removed through a traditional neurosurgery and another procedure that went through Flores' nose. In between the procedures, Labib studied the location of the second tumor. In most cases, he would make an incision in the spine to approach the tumor from the back, but the chordoma's location meant that wasn't an option. Going through Flores' nose again wouldn't give him enough space to operate. One colleague even suggested that there was nothing they could do. "I spoke to colleagues, and one of them said 'You're not gonna cure her from this,' basically, maybe she should be more of a palliative care patient," said Labib. Palliative care refers to making a terminally ill patient comfortable for their last days. "I wasn't very enthusiastic about that," Labib added. Developing a unique surgical plan Labib continued to study Flores' scans and look for ways to reach the second chordoma. While considering approaching it through her nose, he realized the cheekbone between her nose and eye was one of the obstacles blocking him from reaching the tumor. That gave him an idea: What if he approached through the side of Flores' eye? He had done it for a surgery several years prior, but never to remove a spinal tumor. Labib spent weeks practicing the technique, which he called the "third nostril" approach, in UMMC's neurosurgery laboratory. He used cadaver heads and skull models to ensure that he could safely reach and operate on the tumor. He and other members of Flores' team spent weeks working through potential problems, including ensuring that they could create a surgical opening without damaging her eyeball and modifying surgical instruments so they would work for the procedure. An illustration of the approach to Karla Flores' chordoma. The left line shows one of the obstacles presented by a nasal approach. The right line shows the "third nostril" approach Flores' surgeons used. University of Maryland Medical Center After he was confident in the approach, Labib told Flores and her family about the plan. "Her mother cried. Karla was emotional. Her father, he's not an emotional guy, but you could see from his silence he was concerned," Labib remembered. Flores said she trusted Labib and approved the surgery. "I was scared I wasn't going to see my parents again, because you never know what's going to happen when you go inside the surgery," she admitted. In the operating room, facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Kalpesh T. Vakharia cut through the membrane that protects the eye inside the lower eyelid and removed the bottom of Flores' eye socket and a portion of her cheekbone. That allowed Labib to reach the operating site. It also left Flores with no external scars, Vakharia said. Once the bones were removed, Labib and head and neck surgeon Dr. Andrea Hebert drilled through Flores' vertebrae to reach the tumor. They dissected it carefully, following the procedure they had developed in the lab. By the time they were done, the chordoma was entirely removed, Labib said. "It was perfect," he said. Once that was done, Vakharia rebuilt Flores' eye socket with a titanium plate and rebuilt her cheek with bone from her hip. The process took about 20 hours, Labib said. "Each step is an accomplishment" The chordoma was removed, but Flores still had more treatment to come. A spinal surgeon stabilized the vertebrae that had been affected during the surgery. Six weeks later, she underwent radiation treatment to ensure there was no cancer in her body. Nearly a year after completing treatment, Flores has no evidence of cancer. The treatment was followed by rehabilitative therapy. Flores, now 20, struggles to move her left eye because of nerve damage from the chordoma, but is continuing to work on it in physical therapy. Karla Flores and her cat, Sushi, in 2025. Karla Flores Flores said that when she is feeling better, she wants to go to school to become a manicurist. She has follow-up appointments at UMMC every few months. Her biggest struggle right now is medical bills: She said she owes about $600,000. A GoFundMe has raised just a few thousand dollars. "I keep reminding myself to take one day at a time and know that each step is an accomplishment. I'm also glad I stood my ground and kept looking for help until I found it," Flores said in an emailed statement. Labib said he hopes the procedure can be used to help operate on other difficult-to-reach tumors. "I think this opens a new corridor for approaching tumors that are in the upper cervical (or high part of the) spine," Labib said. "I think this third nostril approach is a smaller, easier and cleaner approach, and I think it's going to really take on these difficult tumors in front of the spinal cord."
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Rare spinal cancer tumor removed through patient's eye at university hospital
A young Maryland woman is "relieved and recovering" after doctors performed a novel surgery to remove her potentially deadly cancerous tumors. A surgical team at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) extracted the tumors, which had wrapped around the spinal cord, through the patient's eye socket. This was the first time surgeons removed a spinal tumor using a "transorbital" approach, according to a UMMC press release. Karla Flores was just 19 when she was diagnosed with a chordoma, which is a developmental bone tumor, in her spine. At 18, Flores started experiencing double vision, ultimately leading to her diagnosis months later. Chordomas are very rare, with only about 300 cases occurring in the U.S. each year. "The tumor was wrapped around the patient's spine and spinal cord and had invaded the vertebrae in her neck, just below the base of the skull," according to Mohamed Labib, M.D., neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The primary risks were injuring the brainstem, spinal cord or major blood vessels with the drill or the fine instruments we used — any of these injuries could have resulted in paralysis or even death," Labib told Fox News Digital. "But without surgery, the chordoma could have continued to grow and put intense pressure on the spinal cord. This, too, would have paralyzed her arms and legs and eventually killed her. So, you can see how the stakes were very high with this procedure." The surgeons created a "huge surgical corridor" through the eye socket that enabled them to get in front of the spinal cord. "It was a straight shot," Labib said. "By going through the bottom of the eye socket, we were able to remove a tumor that otherwise would have been very difficult and very risky to address." "Learning about the spinal and brain tumors was terrifying, but I am so grateful the doctors were able to remove them." During the procedure, Labib worked with a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Kalpesh T. Vakharia, M.D., who "carefully cut through the conjunctiva, the transparent membrane protecting the eye, inside the lower eyelid without disturbing the eye." To create the pathway to the spine, Vakharia removed the bottom of Flores' eye socket and a portion of her cheekbone, the release stated. "We wanted to develop a surgical plan where there would be no external scars and it would be impossible to tell that the patient even had surgery," said Vakharia. After Labib removed the tumor, Vakharia rebuilt the bottom of the eye socket using a titanium plate and rebuilt the cheek with bone from the patient's hip, the release detailed. "It was amazing to have had the opportunity to be part of surgery that had never been done before," Vakharia added. This approach also prevented any damage to the eustachian tube, major blood vessels such as the jugular vein and internal carotid artery, and nerves that control swallowing and speech, Labib noted. Prior to Flores' surgery, Labib had the chance to practice the transorbital procedure on cadavers "many, many times." "The fact that people are willing to donate their bodies to science enabled us to do this and saved the life of this young woman," he said. Flores also had a large tumor around her brain stem, which was removed through two separate procedures via her skull and nose, the release stated. The spinal tumors could have been life-threatening if they had grown to the point where they caused significant brain stem compression, according to Andrea M. Hebert, MD, a UMCC head and neck surgeon who performed the endonasal procedure and took part in the transorbital surgery. "Many of these tumors recur, and that's why we favor a multidisciplinary approach to treatment," said Hebert in the release. Flores has also undergone radiation therapy to eliminate any remaining cancer cells. "Karla is doing really well — she's recovered from surgery and radiation and is ready to get back to work and school," Labib shared with Fox News Digital. "She's an incredibly brave young woman who has faced more than most her age. I expect that same strength of spirit will carry her into a promising future." "Learning about the spinal and brain tumors was terrifying, but I am so grateful the doctors were able to remove them." Flores does have some nerve damage due to the tumor's proximity to the brain stem, which has caused some issues with movement of her left eye. "Learning about the spinal and brain tumors was terrifying, but I am so grateful the doctors were able to remove them," said Flores, who plans to go to school to become a manicurist. "I'm slowly recovering and with any problem I have, they help me," she continued. "I keep reminding myself to take one day at a time and know that each step is an accomplishment." Flores now plans to go to school to become a manicurist. Looking ahead, UMMC's team plans to demonstrate the transorbital procedure this fall to neurosurgeons from around the world, at their annual Skull Base surgery course. For more Health articles, visit "When you have such a broadened corridor to reach these tumors, you can completely remove them, which greatly reduces recurrence of the cancer," Labib told Fox News Digital. "We also have other patients who will be receiving similar surgeries in the near future."
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Two arrested following discovery of $600K worth of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to CT
Two people were arrested after a long-term narcotics investigation led to the discovery of about $600,000 worth of cocaine which was shipped from Puerto Rico to Hartford and replaced with phony drugs before being delivered during a sting operation last week. The discovery was made Friday when two suspicious packages at a shipping facility in Hartford were identified as possibly containing narcotics, according to Connecticut State Police. The packages were found amid an investigation being conducted by the state police Statewide Narcotics Task Force, Hartford Police Department Vice & Narcotics Unit, West Hartford Police Department and the Homeland Security Investigations Hartford BEST Team. State police said the agencies have been involved in a long-term investigation into packages being sent from Puerto Rico to several cities in Connecticut. The packages found at the shipping facility were subject to being searched under the policy of the facility, as they were suspected to contain narcotics, according to state police. Both packages were shipped from different addresses in Puerto Rico to a residence on Harvard Street, state police said. Each package was found to contain 10 plastic-wrapped, brick-shaped objects with a white powdery substance inside. State police said the substance tested positive for cocaine. The total weight of the narcotics was more than 22,000 grams with a street value of about $600,000. The contents of the packages were seized and replaced with a phony substance, state police said. Authorities obtained a search warrant for the residence where the packages were shipped and arranged for them to be delivered under surveillance. The delivery took place around 9:30 a.m. when state police alleged that 45-year-old Karla Flores, who lives at the residence, was seen accepting the packages, according to state police. Investigators also reportedly spotted a man in a white Volkswagen nearby watching as the delivery took place, state police said. He was then seen backing into the driveway after the packages were collected. Authorities converged on the residence to serve their search warrant, at which point the man who was in the Volkswagen allegedly ran from the residence and toward his vehicle, state police said. He was apprehended and identified as 30-year-old Christian Burgos-Rodriguez of Hartford, according to state police. Flores was located in the home and detained without issue. State police said they found that she was looking after a 2-year-old in the residence. The search turned up several packaging materials commonly associated with narcotics sales, including a 100-gram weight that is often used to calibrate scales. Authorities also found a small bag containing a tan powder-like substance which tested positive for fentanyl. Flores and Burgos-Rodriguez were arrested and taken to Troop H in Hartford. They each face charges of conspiracy to commit the sale of a controlled substance and risk of injury to a minor. Both suspects were held on $1 million bonds and were expected to appear Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Two arrested in Hartford cocaine trafficking bust
HARTFORD, Conn. (WWLP) – Two people were recently arrested in a major drug bust just across state lines in Hartford. 45-year-old Karla Flores and 30-year-old Christian Burgos-Rodriguez are facing drug charges. Police found more than 48 pounds of cocaine worth $600,000 at a shipping facility. Law enforcement repackaged the deliveries with a sham substance and staked out to see who accepted it. The bust was part of a long-term investigation into cocaine being shipped from Puerto Rico to several Connecticut cities. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
