Ivor Parker, who survived a rare brain condition, is now in good health due to a successful surgery at NYU Langone. Parker and his partner, Karen Palaza, sought medical help when Parker began having trouble speaking and recognizing Palaza. He was immediately taken to the Emergency Department at Long Island Community Hospital, an affiliate of NYU Langone.
Neurosurgeon Donald Krieff found a 6-to-7-centimeter air bubble in the left temporal lobe of Parker’s brain, a condition called pneumocephalus. Despite his 25 years of surgical experience, this was a new case for Krieff. Parker underwent emergency surgery to remove the bubble, and he was able to speak clearly after waking up from the procedure.
Dr. Krieff, the chief of neurosurgery service at the hospital and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, successfully repaired Parker’s skull. The origin of the bubble is still unclear. Usually, such bubbles are seen in scuba divers or those who have been in a hyperbaric chamber, but Parker had not participated in either.