GAGNE GETS SOME GOOD NEWS CLOSER DOESN'T NEED SECOND TOMMY JOHN SURGERY.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Even in his post-anesthesia haze, Eric Gagne could appreciate the good news.

So when Gagne awakened from surgery Friday afternoon and heard that his injured elbow did not, in fact, require a ``Tommy John'' ligament replacement procedure, Gagne had a predictable response.

``He was so excited. ... He smiled and put his fist in the air,'' team physician Dr. Frank Jobe said.

Jobe then gave the Dodgers the good news, that Gagne will require only a six-month recovery period, instead of the 12- to 14-month period that Tommy John patients typically require.

If Gagne's recovery proceeds as expected, he should be ready for the start of spring training next year. Jobe said Gagne should be able to begin tossing around a ball again ``in a couple months.''

In a shocking reversal of fortune for Gagne, Jobe and Dr. Ralph Gambardella opened up Gagne's right elbow and didn't find a torn ulnar collateral ligament, as was expected. Instead, they only found a minor problem with a nerve in the elbow and some minor fraying of the ligament that Jobe called ``insignificant.''

The doctors did some shaving to relieve pressure on the elbow nerve, but needed to do little else. An MRI exam this week indicated Gagne would need Tommy John surgery, but Jobe discovered, while standing over the operating table, that only a minor procedure would be necessary.

``This is rare, but it does occur,'' Jobe said. ``(MRIs) are suggestive, but not confirmative. One of the principles of medicine is that you treat patients, you don't treat pictures.''

The only real problem in Gagne's elbow appeared to be a nerve that was rubbing against the ligament, causing the pain and burning sensation that Gagne described. In a 90-minute procedure at Jobe's office in Los Angeles, the doctors moved the nerve in a process known as neurolysis.

``The symptoms and examination suggested that he had a torn ligament,'' Jobe said. ``The symptoms were identical, but it was really just an irritation to the nerve.''

Jobe and Gambardella also split the ligament to look at the elbow joint, which was deemed healthy, and used sutures to close up the ligament. Gagne underwent Tommy John surgery in 1997, but Jobe said that procedure had held up well and didn't require any maintenance.

If Tommy John surgery had been necessary, Gagne likely would have been out until the middle of next season, so the Dodgers - who have been devastated by injuries this year - were quite relieved by Friday's development.

``I was very, very grateful to get the news I got,'' manager Jim Tracy said. ``He will have an opportunity to resume his pursuit of being quite possibly the best closer ever.''

Not only did Gagne's recovery time get shortened, but he avoided a major procedure, one that Jobe invented three decades ago. There was no assurance that Gagne would return from a second Tommy John surgery at 100 percent, but he should start 2006 without any concerns.

``We haven't gotten a lot of great news lately,'' general manager Paul DePodesta said. ``We're ecstatic that we have a chance to have him for the whole year next year.''

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Dr. Frank Jobe gave the Dodgers the good news - Gagne will require only a six-month recovery period, instead of the 12- to 14-month period that Tommy John patients typically require.