Patient Stories
Sutter Neurosurgery
Ken - Team Approach
Despite being diagnosed with two aneurysms and having brain surgery – twice – Ken Kaestner considers himself blessed.
Two years ago Ken started experiencing headaches, numbness and tingling. Worried that he might be experiencing a neurological condition, Ken made an appointment with his Sutter Medical Group family physician, John J. Madigan, M.D. An MRI showed an irregularity on his brain and he was referred for a Computerized Tomographic Angiography (CTA) scan and to David Seminer, M.D., a Sutter Neuroscience Medical Group Neurologist in Roseville.
“I went to see Dr. Seminer, who let me know I had two aneurysms in my brain – one on the left side of my head, and one on the right,” said Ken.
Having two aneurysms is uncommon, and in Ken’s case might have been caused by years of high blood pressure. According to Richard Atkinson, M.D., neurologist and director of the Stroke Program at Sutter Neuroscience Institute, the occurrences of aneurysms are not too unusual; approximately one in 15 Americans will develop an aneurysm in their lifetime. And of those who have an aneurysm that has ruptured, only 25 percent have a chance to at a normal life afterwards.
Dr. Seminer consulted with Bahram Varjavand, M.D., an interventional radiologist with Sutter Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Varjavand explained that in some cases, a minimally invasive treatment called coiling is an option, and in other cases open surgery is the best procedure to clip an aneurysm. In Ken’s case, open surgery could come with complications due to a pre-existing blood disorder, similar to hemophilia, he had been previously diagnosed with. Since Ken’s aneurysms were still small (only 4-5 mm), the doctors decided to wait six months to see if they would subside with medication, or continue to grow.
“Every morning during those six months I would wake up worried and wondering if it was the day one of my aneurysms would burst,” said Ken. “But my wife Sherry and my faith helped me keep grounded, and help me keep my blood pressure down.”
After the fifth month Ken went back in for a CTA to get updated imaging of the aneurysms. The CTA showed that the left aneurysm had grown into an irregular shape.
At that point, Ken and Sherry sought the surgical guidance of Edie Zusman, M.D., director of neurosurgery at Sutter Neuroscience Institute.
Together Dr. Seminer and Dr. Atkinson, neurologists; Jerry Powell, M.D., and Luko Laptalo, M.D., hematologists; Dr. Vargavand and Lotfi Hacein-Bey, M.D.., interventional radiologist; Dr. Zusman, neurosurgeon; George Chu, M.D., anesthesiologist; Kennenth and his wife, Sherry planned out the best course of treatment for his aneurysms. Ken’s team decided neurosurgical clipping of his aneurysms would be the best treatment option – although it came with some risks due to his bleeding disorder. His first surgery was scheduled for April 15. The surgery, performed by Dr. Zusman and assisted by neurosurgeon Cully Cobb, M.D., and Dr. Laptalo, successfully clipped his left aneurysm with minimal amount of blood loss. Ken was released from Sutter General Hospital just four days after surgery. And six months later, Ken went in for the surgery of his right aneurysm.
Ken was released from the hospital after just three days following his second surgery. “He was so thrilled to be rid of his aneurysms, I had to remind him he just had brain surgery and should take it easy for a while,” Sherry said.
According to interventional radiologists, Dr. Varjavand and Dr. Bey, the post operative angiograms confirm excellent clipping of the aneurysms with preservation of the middle cerebral arther and its branches.
“Ken’s surgeries went very well thanks to our team approach and advanced technology,” said Dr. Zusman. “The 3D CTA image of Ken’s brain and aneurysm provided an incredible guide that wasn’t available even a year ago.”
“I am so lucky,” Ken said after a life-threatening condition and two critical surgeries. “I was able to have an expert team at my local community hospital.”
Ken no longer has the constant worries of an aneurysm burst. He is focused on maintaining his health so he can continue to walk along the beach with his wife. He believes his faith and the power of prayer prevented his aneurysms from bursting and helped him get through his surgeries. And most of all, he is grateful to his treatment team and all the nurses and staff at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento who helped care for him.
“Stories like Ken’s is one of the reasons Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento has been recognized as one of the Top 50 US Hospitals in the Nation for Neurology and Neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report,” noted Dr. Zusman. “You don’t find this kind of collaboration at other community-based hospitals – it’s rare even at some university medical centers.”
Learn more about Sutter Neuroscience Institute’s Stroke Center.