Darren Daulton's surgery a success, doctor says

Former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton had surgery Monday on a pair of brain tumors that were discovered last week, one of which was deemed inoperable.

After seven hours in surgery, during which Daulton was mostly awake in order for the surgical team to track his language function, Dr. Kevin Judy, section chief of surgical neurology at Jefferson Hospital, reported that both tumors had been removed.

"I do not know where the term 'inoperable' came from," said Dr. Judy. "There are ways of operating on brain tumors in very important parts of the brain. That's why we spent a lot of time directly stimulating his brain."

After preliminary examinations, Dr. Judy stated, "I was confident I could get this tumor out in this area."

"All of the tumors have been removed. I would expect it's going to take him three to four weeks to get over the surgery."

"He had difficulty fully understanding and expressing himself," Dr. Judy stated.

Physically, Daulton is in great shape. In the coming weeks, his language function will be of the most concern, as it was the issue that brought him to the hospital in the first place. Dr. Judy said that for men over 40 in this condition, radiation therapy is common, though the final pathology is not back yet to determine exactly what Daulton's recovery will entail.

"He's awake talking to his family. He's in there talking to his oldest son," Dr. Judy said. "They were talking about the Phillies."