By the time she was seven years old, Savannah Erck of Alexandria Bay, NY had endured two surgeries for scoliosis. Then two years ago, she began experiencing double vision when playing softball.
Diagnosed with basilar invagination, a condition which causes the top vertebrae to migrate upwards into the brain, her local doctor felt the only neurosurgeon who could save her life was nearly 1,000 miles away, at University of Iowa Children's Hospital.
Savannah's parents turned to the expertise of one of the world's most renowned pediatric neurosurgeons. According to her father, Dean, "Every neurosurgeon on the East Coast I talked to said that if this was their daughter, they would want Dr. Arnold Menezes to perform the surgery."
Savannah's 12–hour surgery involved a large surgical team and was followed by weeks of recovery. She returned in December 2008 for an additional surgery to correct scoliosis. "My daughter's first operation was so successful that, when it came time to put titanium rods in her back eight months later, we came back to Iowa because of the complicated nature of intubating a child with this condition," says Dean.
"We have made two treks to Iowa for two very serious surgeries that could not be done anywhere else," says her father. "Every aspect of our Iowa experience was life–changing. We love and admire the UI more than I can say."
UI Department of Neurology :: 200 Hawkins Drive :: Iowa City, IA 52242 :: Phone: 319-384-8111 Fax: 319-384-7199 ::e-mail: neurology-scheduling@uiowa.edu