The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-11
A REMARKABLE OPERATION.
Surgeon Removes Part of Spine and
Patient Will Recover.
81. louis Post-Dispatch.O

est. Louis POst-Dispatcb)
Joseph Pittoria. a miner from Bush,
ILL.,. will be walking about and doing his
regular work minus portion of his
backbone if ne RECEIVERS from an opera
ton performed on him at the Evangel-
zeal Deaconess hospital a few mornings
since.
Pittoria, who had recently come from
Italy, was working in mine at Bush
when cave-in occurred. He was bur-
led under tons of rock and coal, which
broke his back in the lumbar region.
The mass of rock fell on his head, dou-
bling him up end crushing the trans
verse and spinOus processes of the first.
second and third Vertebrae
The crushing of these bones imme-
diately affected the network of nerves
which branch off from the spinal cord
at the point of injury
The motor tract of the spinal cord, or
those nerves which control the lOcomO-
ton of the lower limbs, were -deadened
so that he was paralyzed in the lower
half of his body. The senSatory tract,
or those nerves which governed the
senses, were rendered acute, so that
the man suffered intense agony con-
stantly, making it necessary to keep
him under the influence of Opiates. So
great was the agony that he would have
succumbed soon unless relieved Dy an
operation.
According 10 Information obtained at
the hospital the subject was on the op-
Grating table three hours.
1t was believed to be necessary to re-
move the arches OF the three vertebrae.
take out the crushed bone and reach
the spinal canal, through which the
spinal cord runs to the brain, in order
TO remove the mass Of clotteG blood
and splintered bone which was pressing
on the sensory nerves and causing the
man such intense agony.
Another difficult factor i'm the opera
ton was the excessive hemorrhage to
the network of veins which surrounded
the crushed vertebrae, and the two ar
teries which run up each side of the
spine, the walls of which were torn and
crushed filling the spinal cavity with
blood and spicula of splnteTed bone.
All during the operation DR.. Menestrina
was working with his instrument under
the flow of blood and entirely by the
sense of touch
The skin was lifted back from the
seat of the injury, and then the heavy
muscles that guard the spine were di-
vided and lifted away. being held out
of the way BY retractors so that the
operator could get at fractured bones.
The periOsteum. cartilaSinOuS or
fibroUs substance which covers the
bones, was Clipped away and the spi-
nous process, or the bone which pro-
jects from the spine outward, was CHS
eled and broken away by forceDs.
After the spinOus process had been
removed the operator was able TO ge-
into the spinal canal through which the
spinal cord runs to the brain.
For the length of the three vertebrate
the spinal cord was lifted from the
canal with delicate instruments and the
canal cleared of fluid and spicula. or
splinters of bone, which were pressing
against it. Then. with fOrcep-like in
struments the transverse processes were
crushed ard taken out until all the bOny
structure of the three vertebrate near
est the outside of the back had been
removed by a process of gouging~ crush
ing and chiselng, and all the while con-
cealed from the view of the operator by
the blood.
The body of the bony structure of
the spine, that which lies back of or be
hind the canal. was left and forms the
bed or support of the remaining portions
of the spine.
When the spinous and transverse YER
tebrae had been removed the anterior
portion of the canal. Il fibrous substance
was cleaned and sewed as a protection
to the spinal cord, and the heavy mus.
cles brought over and Joined as an
artificial wall for the canal.
DR.. Menestrina said that his patient
was doing as we'll as he had expected,
and he had strong hopes for his recov-
cry