First Gentleman now in stable condition

MANILA, Philippines - First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo is now in stable condition following an almost four-hour major operation yesterday to relieve pain in his spinal cord.

The operation, called a “spinal fusion surgery,” was performed on Mr. Arroyo by orthopedic spinal surgeon Dr. Mario Ver at St. Luke’s Hospital, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.

Ver said the operation was needed to treat Mr. Arroyo’s spinal stenosis, a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves.

Spinal stenosis is usually due to the common occurrence of spinal degeneration that occurs with aging.

Ver said the First Gentleman was suffering from spondylolisthesis or a forward slip of one vertebra relative to another.

He said the procedure to correct both conditions started at around 7:30 a.m. and was finished shortly before noon.

“It is a major surgery. We implanted titanium screws in his spine to stabilize it,” said Ver.

He said the procedure also required the application of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) to Mr. Arroyo’s spine. The protein was imported from Singapore, he added.

“The operation was successful. He is now at the intensive care unit and by tomorrow morning, he will be probably moved to a regular (hospital) room,” he said.

Ver said as of last night, when the hospital gave its press briefing, Mr. Arroyo was stable and able to sit up and move both his legs.

President Arroyo was at the hospital last night and visited her husband along with some of their grandchildren.

Meanwhile, Mr. Arroyo’s attending physician, Dr. Juliet Cervantes, said she expects Mr. Arroyo to make a full recovery within a week’s time. Cervantes said by that time, Mr. Arroyo should be fit enough to play golf again.

“Hopefully he could again play golf. The ultimate goal of this procedure is to bring him back to the greens. Despite the obstacles, we were able to make the procedure a success,” she said.

Cervantes said the inability to play golf with his spine condition had depressed Mr. Arroyo.