Superman May Fly Again
Found on an AOL NEWS page:
Paraplegic Woman Walked After Nerve Graft
By ANDREW BRIDGES
.c The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (Aug. 30) - An experimental nerve-graft surgery allowed a paraplegic woman whose spinal cord was severed in an automobile accident to reacquire limited use of her legs, an Italian doctor reported this week at a conference in California. In a 14-hour surgery performed in July 2000, Dr. Giorgio Brunelli, of the Universita’ di Brescia, Italy, removed a portion of the 28-year-old’s sciatic nerve and used it as a graft to connect the undamaged portion of her spine to muscles in her buttocks and thighs. He said the graft allowed the regrowth of nerves connected to the central nervous system into the muscle tissue. The unidentified patient first showed movement in her legs in September and since has begun walking with assistance, Brunelli said. The woman had used a wheelchair for five years prior to the surgery.
