GMA undergoes third spine surgery

Doctors of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo decided to push through with her third cervical spine surgery Wednesday morning.

Marilen Lagniton, St. Luke’s Medical Center Vice President for Customers Affairs and spokesperson, told a media briefing that a team led by veteran orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mario Ver, started the operation on her cervical spine between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday.

She said the medical team led by Arroyo’s personal physician, Dr. Juliet Gopez Cervantes, decided to push through with the operation after the absence of fever for the past 24 hours.

Lagniton said the operation was expected to last for at least five hours.

She added that doctors led by Dr. Cervantes will give another media briefing at noon Thursday to give an update on the surgery.

“Remember, the other day when I told you that kapag mawala na ang fever ni (if the fever is already gone) former President then doctors will do the surgery? So she had no fever since last night (or) 24 hours (ago) so doctors decided to do the surgery this (Wednesday) morning,” Lagniton told reporters during a briefing at the lobby of the hospital.

Last Tuesday, doctors cancelled the scheduled surgery of Mrs. Arroyo after she developed fever Sunday night.

Lagniton said tests were also done to determine if infection was the cause of the fever but all tests turned out negative. She said the decision to cancel the operation was made after a doctor’s conference with the family of Mrs. Arroyo Monday morning.

A titanium mesh that contains bone graph harvested from parts of Mrs. Arroyo’s pelvic bone was to be placed during the third surgery, Cervantes said. Doctors hope that the procedure would lead to growth of bones that will fuse her cervical spine.

Cervantes said that if successful, doctors can already remove the halo vest (also known as a halo ring or halo crown) fitted on the former President last week to immobilize the cervical spine.