DETROIT – Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, is recovering after a 12-hour brain surgery last week.
The surgery took twice as long as anticipated. Any surgery on the brain is delicate but sometimes unique anatomy doesn't become apparent until a surgeon is looking at it.
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In Stafford's case, she said in an Instagram post, it was an abnormal vein that made the surgery more of a challenge.
Dr. Steven Kalkanis is the chairman of neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital. While he didn't treat Stafford, he is familiar with the surgery she underwent and the problem her surgeons likely encountered.
According to Kalkanis, it was likely a small but important vessel that can sometimes loop over the tumor on its way to the back portion of the brain. If that vessel is damaged it can trigger a stroke.
Fortunately, it was identified and Stafford's surgery was a success.
Instagram post embedded below:
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