Latest news with #spinalsurgery
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Surgeons plot epic Norfolk circuit in bid for new £800k x-ray system
Spinal surgeons from Norfolk's largest hospital have plotted an epic summer challenge in a bid to secure a new £800k x-ray system for the department. Members of the spinal surgery team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital are set to complete a circular route of Norfolk on water, foot and bicycle which will see them visit all three of the region's main hospitals. Setting off on Monday, the team is set to travel by river from Norwich to the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston - rowing as close as possible to the sister hospital. A map showing the route the surgeons will take (Image: NNUH) From there, they will walk from Gorleston to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, taking the coastal path to visit Cromer Hospital along the way. And the final leg of their epic challenge will see them cycle from the QEH back to the N&N - with the challenge taking place across June. They are taking part in the challenge to raise funds to purchase a new x-ray system for the department capable of taking images with a 70pc reduction in radiation exposure. Tom Marjoram (Image: NNUH) Consultant spinal surgeon Tom Marjoram said: "This is especially important in children who are more vulnerable to radiation exposure, especially to the abdomen and pelvis. "It also allows images to be taken in one picture rather than having to stitch them together, which reduces the chance of errors and increases measurement accuracy." The equipment- a low dose x-ray imaging system - costs in the region of £800,000 - with the challenge taking place during Scoliosis Awareness Month. Mr Marjoram added: "This system will help reduce waiting times for diagnostic imaging and will mean that patients who require regular repeated scanning, especially from children, will receive low doses of radiation across their lifetime, reducing the possibility of long-term harm that comes from radiation exposure." To support the appeal, visit
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller shares shocking photo of object she claims surgeons left in her body for FOUR years in new lawsuit
Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit after she claimed she discovered that doctors left a catheter inside her following spinal surgery in 2020. The reality TV star, 59, 'suffered for years' with doctors unable to 'diagnose the source of her pain,' her attorney, Nadine Lewis, exclusively told in a statement on Tuesday. Four years after her spinal surgery in September of 2020, the dance instructor claims she discovered that a catheter had been left inside her abdomen, according to the lawsuit. In her lawsuit, Miller — who was recently snubbed by an A-list pop star — shared a graphic photo of what she alleges in the complaint is 'the outline of a foreign blue object embedded beneath her skin, surrounded by scar tissue.' She also included a photo of the 'retained catheter' after it was removed following 'an emergency procedure.' Miller is suing Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital, Dr. Hooman Melamed, M.D., and. Dr. Paul Dwan, M.D. for medical malpractice, professional negligence and medical battery. She is seeking damages in the amount of $430,000. A spokesperson for Cedars-Sinai told in a statement: 'Cedars-Sinai cannot comment on pending legal matters. Also, due to federal and state privacy laws, Cedars-Sinai cannot discuss any patient's medical treatment.' 'However, the care and safety of our patients, staff and visitors are always Cedars-Sinai's top priorities. We are dedicated to ensuring that we meet the highest standards of care for all those we serve.' As per the lawsuit, Miller suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2018 due to Burkitt Lymphoma, an aggressive and fast-growing cancer, which rendered her paraplegic with a neurogenic bladder. In 2020 she underwent spinal surgery at Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital to treat a condition known as Spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is a spinal condition where one of the vertebrae slips out of its proper position. She claims in the lawsuit that the surgery was performed by both Dr. Melamed and Dr. Dwan. She then underwent a second surgery, performed by the same surgical team, in November 2020, as part of her ongoing treatment, according to the complaint. The lawsuit states that in the months and years that followed, 'Miller repeatedly reported ongoing abdominal pain and discomfort to multiple physicians, including defendants.' Miller claims various physicians 'systemically dismissed her chronic pain and let her suffer for years.' Miller claims in the complaint that 'Dr. Melamed, in particular, attributed her symptoms to post-surgical scar tissue and offered no further investigation, no imaging was ordered, including a failure to examine the site of the pain.' Miller 'repeatedly reported ongoing abdominal pain and discomfort to multiple physicians,' according to her complaint. 'Despite her consistent and persistent complaints, her concerns were dismissed.' 'As a paraplegic woman with a life sentence in a wheelchair, Abby lives with daily pain in the aftermath of her Burkitt Lymphoma diagnosis.' Despite her complaints to 'various physicians', not one of them ordered imaging to locate and diagnose the source of her pain, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit goes on to allege that by 2024, Miller's 'abdominal discomfort had escalated into persistent and debilitating pain, impacting her quality of life on a daily basis.' In June 2024, while seeking care for an unrelated issue at St. John's Hospital, a doctor applied pressure to Miller's abdomen causing her to 'scream very loudly in pain' according to her complaint. 'The affected area of the skin immediately became red, inflamed, and visibly irritated,' as per the lawsuit. Four years after her spinal surgery, Abby discovered that her 'surgeons had left a bright blue catheter inside her abdomen,' according to her complaint. After a dermatologist examined the inflamed area and took a photograph, it 'revealed the outline of a foreign blue object embedded beneath her skin, surrounded by scar tissue' states her complaint. Her attorney said in a statement that the 'systemic minimization of women's suffering has had fatal consequences in our society.' 'Abby's case is a chilling reminder: even when women are vocal and visibly in distress, their pain is still not believed.' 'As a paraplegic woman, Abby is advocating for herself and others in a medical system that has repeatedly failed them,' Lewis added. Miller remains in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma in 2018. Last year she bravely opened up about the terrifying moment she nearly died after contracting sepsis from a UTI. The star was left screaming in excruciating pain when her catheter dislodged just days after she wrapped her Abby Lee Spills the Tea tour in the UK in July 2024. It was one of many health battles that Miller, who was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after being convicted of fraud in May 2017, has faced in recent years. One week after being released in May 2018, she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma and subsequently underwent life-saving surgery to remove a tumor from her spine. Although she is now cancer-free, she was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down and has been confined to a motorized wheelchair for the past six years. When asked by why she feels she has bounced back from multiple ailments, she choked back tears and said: 'I think that I have a lot to do, and I hope when it is my time to go, it will matter that I was.' 'I have a lot more choreography. I have a lot more kids to teach. I have a lot more social awareness about being in a chair.' Abby rose to fame on Lifetime's long-running reality show Dance Moms, which followed an elite youth dance troupe at the Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which made stars out of Jojo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
‘I've gotten my life back': London, Ont., neurosurgeon transforming the way Ontarians deal with back pain
Dr. Neil Duggal, Neurosurgeon at LHSC, demonstrates the endoscopic procedure using a spine model, alongside operating room Charge Nurse, Nicole Emery and Registered Nurse, Judy Hong in London, Ont. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) A new procedure being performed at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is helping patients to recover quicker, using a less painful path. For patients who suffer from spinal disorders, the pain can be debilitating. That was the case for Dr. Robyn Klein, who suffered from a herniated disc last December. 'Intense shooting pain all the way down my leg, into my foot, it was unbearable. I couldn't walk, I could barely sit, I could do nothing,' said Dr. Klein. The neuro-infectious disease specialist and scientist with Western University was fortunate a spot was available for her to have spinal endoscopic surgery performed by Neurosurgeon Dr. Neil Duggal this past April. Spinal surgery lhsc London Ont Dr. Neil Duggal, Neurosurgeon at LHSC with spinal endoscopic surgery patient, Dr. Robyn Klein inside University Hospital in London, Ont. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) 'This procedure is using a very small incision that splits the muscle, and it has water going through it with a scope, and by doing that, it has less bleeding and so therefore less scarring around the nerves,' explained Dr. Duggal. LHSC is the first hospital in Ontario to have performed this new procedure. And Dr. Klein is one of only six patients to have this surgery performed at LHSC. 'I've gotten my life back. I'm doing everything that I was doing before. I still have some soreness and some stiffness, and obviously now, I'm really sore from all the exercise doing, but that's good soreness, not what I had before,' said an enthusiastic Dr. Klein. Surgeons use a slender, tube-like camera called an endoscope to visualize the spine through small incisions. The surgical procedure offers the most minimally invasive approach to treating conditions, such as herniated discs and other degenerative disc diseases. Dr. Duggal is passionate about innovation and minimally invasive techniques and said using cutting-edge technology to provide the most current surgical techniques for patients in Southwestern Ontario will help shorten a lengthy waitlist of spinal surgery patients. 'This procedure, for example, will hopefully result in fewer hospital admissions and such that we can do more cases and work our way through the waitlist,' explained Dr. Duggal. The new procedure represents an important advancement in care that is transforming the way patients deal with back pain across Ontario.
