CLEVELAND — In 2021, 3News Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins learned her brain tumor had spread and she would need to have a second surgery.
The first one in 2019 gave her a 10-inch scar from the middle of her forehead to behind her right ear and required 51 staples. But then Monica learned Cleveland Clinic was doing a new type of procedure called Trans Orbital Neuroendoscopic Surgery, or TONES.
Her surgeon accessed her tumor through the crease in her eyelid and removed as much as possible, buying her time. She still requires scans every six months because there's still residual tumor left behind her left eye.
Barbara O’Hara, of Stuart, FL, was suffering from neck pain and migraine headaches.
“Oh that pain was just awful, just excruciating,” she said.
She was referred to Cleveland Clinic where she learned she had an aneurysm, which would require brain surgery.
“We can think about brain aneurysm as a bubble in the artery of our brain. The problem with aneurysm is that that bubble can eventually rupture and if it ruptures, it can cause a stroke," said Cleveland Clinic neurosurgeon, Mauricio Mandel, M.D.
Traditional surgery requires a large incision along the hairline, but O’Hara qualified for the TONES approach and her aneurysm could be reached through her eyelid.
“With a tiny incision over the eye, we do the same clipping of the aneurysm that is done with the open surgery, but in a much less invasive way,” explained Dr. Mandel.
3D imaging is used to help plan the surgery to ensure safety, and most people go home the following day. Although it does take time to recover from the eyelid swelling, it's a much easier procedure to heal from than the more invasive surgery.
“You’d never know I had surgery. There's no scar,” O’Hara said. “To wake up and have no pain. I was amazed. I can get out in the sun and enjoy my life.”
The TONES procedure is offered at a handful of medical centers in the U.S. It's being used for tumors, including meningioma, pituitary, sinus, abscesses, cerebral spinal fluid leaks, aneurysms, orbital and eye issues, and some cases of epliepsy.
Some patients may not qualify if they don't have an adequate crease in their eyelid or if their issue is not accessible through the eyelid incision.
Talk to your doctor about your options.