Media Alert: Brain Surgeon Dr. Koji Ebersole Addresses Using Superglue to Save Infant's Life

KANSAS CITY, Kan., June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Three-week-old Ashlyn Julian is recovering quickly in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at The University of Kansas Hospital from a near fatal aneurysm that ruptured twice.  Doctors Koji Ebersole, MD, endovascular neurosurgeon and assistant professor and Dr. Alan Reeves interventional neuroradiologist and assistant professor, teamed up for the life-saving procedure.  First, Dr. Reeves gained access to Ashlyn's tiny blood vessels near her hip. Once inside, Dr. Ebersole maneuvered a drop of sterile superglue to her brain using instruments the size of a pencil lead and human strand of hair.

A video recap of the procedure is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUSJrJTcOwY

Since 1949, medical history shows only 17 recorded cases of neonates (infant less than 4 weeks old) suffering a brain bleed. This is believed to be the first time superglue has been used to repair an aneurysm in a neonate.  Dr. Ebersole expects Ashlyn to make a full recovery as her infant brain was not yet fully developed, and is quite resilient.

Dr. Ebersole and Dr. Reeves will talk about the surgery and answer media questions via teleconference Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 3 p.m. CT.

SOURCE The University of Kansas Hospital