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Dr. McLaughlin; Phyllis Leonard; Pam Ledger, Director, Surgical Services; John Leonard

 

Dr. Nirav Shah and Frank Guarrieri

 

Sharon Beales, VP Foundation, Dr. Shah,
Dr. McLaughlin and Sue Wert

In the Neurosurgeon's Shoes

Princeton Brain and Spine Care Donor Demonstration

 

For a short time this May, a door opened into the world of Neurosurgery that few ever get to see. Using humor and great story telling, Drs. Mark McLaughlin and Nirav Shah allowed a small group of special guests to learn firsthand about the intricacy, complexities, and delicate nature of neurosurgery.

This small assembly of St. Mary donors, Foundation Board members and hospital patients were introduced to three "patients" who were suffering from conditions associated with neurological disorders treatable only by a skilled neurosurgeon.

Using high tech instruments for the simulated cases — a brain tumor, a herniated disc, and a trigeminal neuralgia, — guests felt what it was like to biopsy a brain tumor, remove a bone fragment from the spine, and fuse the spinal column together using specially designed screws. Willing participants also also had the chance to use the "Brain Lab" to locate and remove a foreign body lodged in a brain.

Dr. McLaughlin explained the advantages of the new frameless stereotactic radiosurgery equipment — the next step in advanced radiation therapy for cancer and neurology at St. Mary — and donated $100,000 towards the purchase of this life-saving equipment on behalf of Princeton Brain & Spine Care.

 

"It was an awesome experience, giving us the opportunity to tangibly appreciate the miraculous work Drs. McLaughlin & Shah, and others like them at St. Mary, do every day. Using their instruments was weird and unexpected — the sensation of cutting the disk material felt like I was really doing it."

— Frank Guarrieri

 

 

"We have all the ingredients at St Mary for a world class radiosurgery program. We have outstanding Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Physicists and Neurosurgeons all of whom have trained at international centers of radiosurgery excellence. The physicians at Princeton Brain and Spine Care truly believe that this is the future of neurosurgery. We endorse this project wholeheartedly and view this as a way to serve our patients better."

— Dr. Mark McLaughlin