Dr. Anthony Del Signore - "NYC Teen's Scary Tumor Diagnosis Resolved With High-Tech Surgery"
A talented teenager from Queens has big ambitions of becoming a professional opera singer, but a scary diagnosis almost shuttered his plans. Ghalahad Abella, 17, of Elmhurst, noticed a serious problem with his left eye last month. He went to the doctor to see what was happening, and tests revealed that there was a tumor at the base of his skull. Anthony Del Signore, MD, director of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery, said it's extremely rare to see this type of tumor in someone Ghalahad's age. Dr. Del Signore and Costas Hadjipanayis, MD, chair of the department of neurosurgery, used "surgical theater," a virtual reality tool that gives them 3D images of the skull and brain. It helped them plan their navigation through the nasal cavity to the tumor. Learn more