Doctors call Sen. Kennedy's brain surgery successful
'I feel like a million bucks,' he says afterward. Chemotherapy will follow the operation to remove a malignant tumor.
washington -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent a 3 1/2 -hour targeted brain surgery at Duke University Medical Center today to remove a malignant tumor.
The surgery "was successful and accomplished our goals," according to a statement released by the neurosurgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman, at the facility in Durham, N.C.
Friedman said Kennedy was awake throughout the entire procedure and should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.
A Kennedy spokesman said the senator spoke with his wife, Vicki, immediately after the surgery and told her: "I feel like a million bucks. I think I will do that again tomorrow."
In a statement issued by his office, the 76-year-old Democrat said his surgery will be followed by radiation treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as chemotherapy.
Saying he was "humbled by the outpouring" of prayers from around the world, the senior senator from Massachusetts thanked those who have "expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge."
The liberal lion of the Senate, who endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president in February, said that after completing his treatment, "I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack Obama as our next president."
Kennedy was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma. He probably will remain at Duke recuperating from the surgery for about a week.
Over the past few days, the statement said, the senator's wife, "along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation."
The procedure was intricate, complicated by the fact that the tumor cells can be very difficult to distinguish from surrounding brain tissue and because the tumor is located very close to centers of the brain that control motor function, speech and memory.
While few details of the Duke surgery have been released, experts have described what might be considered a typical procedure:
Sunday night, before the surgery, Kennedy most likely underwent an MRI that allowed surgeons to generate a three-dimensional map of the tumor. Friedman and his team would have referred to this map frequently during the procedure and may have used more imaging during the operation to ensure that they removed as much tumor as possible.
