Groundbreaking Surgery Helps Teen Walk at Graduation

Source: AZFamily
Patients from around the world are traveling to Scottsdale, Arizona to receive life-changing treatment from Dr. Peter Nakaji — the only neurosurgeon in the state performing a groundbreaking procedure that restores mobility, relieves symptoms, and brings new hope to patients suffering from a rare vascular condition.

One of those patients is Natalie Birn, a high school senior whose worsening symptoms had left her in a wheelchair and uncertain if she would be able to walk at graduation. “Before the surgery, I didn’t know if I would make it to graduation,” Birn shared.

Thanks to Dr. Nakaji and a complex venous decompression surgery performed in March, Natalie not only walked at graduation but also experienced immediate relief. “I just hugged him and thanked him and cried because it was just life-changing, really,” she said.

The condition Natalie was battling is called styloidogenic jugular venous compression syndrome — a rare and often misunderstood condition that blocks blood from draining from the brain, leading to increased pressure and a range of debilitating symptoms, including brain fog, hearing and vision loss, and daily fainting spells.

Dr. Nakaji, Director of Scottsdale Neurosurgery Specialists inside the Bob Bové Neuroscience Institute at HonorHealth, has helped pioneer the intricate decompression procedure that’s offering hope to patients like Natalie. The surgery involves carefully removing the pressure around the jugular vein — a delicate operation that few others in the world are performing.

After surgery, Natalie felt a profound difference. “My headache was nearly gone for the first time since I can remember, and everything was so much louder because I got all my hearing back.”

Today, she is focused on a bright future — walking on her own and inspired to join the healthcare field as a phlebotomist to help others the way Dr. Nakaji helped her.