TURIAF OPTIMISTIC FOLLOWING SURGERY HE WILL NEED SEVERAL MONTHS TO RECOVER.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf underwent successful open-heart surgery Tuesday at Stanford University Medical Center, with the team hopeful he could resume his basketball career after he recovers.

The surgery lasted approximately six hours and repaired an enlarged aortic root found by team doctors last week. Turiaf did not need to have his aortic valve replaced, which the Lakers had said was a key factor in determining whether he would play again.

``We're anticipating there will be a three- or four-month recovery period at which time he'll be reevaluated,'' Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. ``That's how we're going to plan.''

Turiaf is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week, then return to Spokane, Wash., where he played at Gonzaga, to recover. His college coach, Mark Few, flew to Palo Alto with three Zags assistants to be with Turiaf as he underwent surgery.

Kupchak spoke with Turiaf on Monday and said there was a ``bounce in his voice'' even while admitting he was fearful of the surgery. Turiaf vowed to play basketball again in his conversation with Kupchak.

``You just can't imagine a young person going through something like that,'' Kupchak said.

With NBA players Alonzo Mourning and Sean Elliott both resuming their careers after undergoing kidney transplants, Turiaf could also return to the court after major surgery, said Dr. James McPherson, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Centinela Freeman Medical Center.

``It's somewhat uncharted territory,'' McPherson said. ``You don't see a lot of guys who have had heart surgery playing professional basketball. And that's not to say that it can't be done. But I think if it is going to be done, it should be done carefully.

``He should have really good physical therapy ... giving him the confidence to compete with these guys. And then once he has had a chance to recover, then he should go for it. He should go and be as active as he can, be as aggressive as he can about his game.''

The surgery Turiaf underwent Tuesday is performed several thousand times a year, according to McPherson, though most patients are typically much older than the 22-year-old Turiaf.

The aorta is the body's biggest artery and an enlarged root can stretch out the aortic valve, causing it to leak. That condition is called aortic insufficiency and, in severe cases, McPherson said, the valve would have to be replaced.

Turiaf would have faced the long-term prospect of taking bloodthinners in that event.

Instead, Turiaf only needed to have the valve repaired. The primary part of the surgery consisted of replacing the ascending aorta, the first section of the aorta, with a synthetic cylinder, McPherson said.

The possible complications Turiaf faces are internal bleeding as well as the risk of a heart attack, stroke or infection, according to McPherson. Such complications are usually apparent in the initial days after surgery, he added.

McPherson said patients normally need about six to eight weeks to recover. Turiaf, who went into surgery before dawn, was at risk of a potentially life-threatening rupture of the aorta without the surgery.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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