POPE RESTING AFTER APPENDIX SURGERY; `NO SURPRISES' FOUND.Byline: Juan O. Tamayo Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła emerged in fine shape from appendix surgery Tuesday, with doctors saying they found no sign of an old tumor but dodging questions on whether he suffers from Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. . ``There were no surprises. The prognosis was confirmed,'' the pope's chief spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said after surgeons removed an appendix blamed for his recent bouts of fever and intestinal disorders. The 76-year-old pontiff recovered from the anesthesia quicker than expected and managed to proofread his doctors' bulletin before it was released to the media, said Navarro-Valls, a Spanish physician and journalist. The surgery found no sign of the return of an orange-size benign tumor benign tumor n. A tumor that does not metastasize or invade and destroy adjacent normal tissue. Benign tumor An abnormal proliferation of cells that does not spread to other parts of the body. on the colon that doctors removed in 1992, in one of the six operations John Paul The name John Paul might refer to: Full name
Surgeons had to remove some of the scar tissue scar tissue n. Dense, fibrous connective tissue that forms over a healed wound or cut. from previous operations to get at the appendix, said cardiologist Dr. Corrado Colagrande, but found no other complications. Presurgery tests performed Monday at the Gemelli Hospital had found the pontiff's heart and other organs functioning well, said his attending cardiologist, Dr. Attilio Maseri. ``The doctors were happy. They are very fond of this pope,'' Colagrande told a news conference after the 50-minute surgery Tuesday. The pontiff is expected to get out of bed today and leave the hospital in five to seven days, a bit earlier than anticipated. ``The pope's problem is age,'' Colagrande said. ``After this operation he'll surely be better, but it's not like he's going to turn young again.'' But the pope's physicians sidestepped questions about other symptoms of health problems that have sparked speculation among doctors who do not treat the pope that he suffers from Parkinson's disease. His left hand trembles visibly, he walks with a stoop and his face sometimes seems rigid, all said to be signs of some sort of neurological disorder Noun 1. neurological disorder - a disorder of the nervous system nervous disorder, neurological disease disorder, upset - a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning; "the doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder"; . Asked about any other ailment ail·ment n. A physical or mental disorder, especially a mild illness. , the appendix surgeons said only that the pontiff's other doctors had assured them that whatever other ailments the pope had would not affect Tuesday's surgery. |
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