Green was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma last November after he noticed significant hearing loss in his left ear. An MRI showed a noncancerous, but nevertheless potentially dangerous, tumor. Although it's slow-growing, it grows in the auditory canal and blocks the nerve from the inner ear into the brain. If it grows enough, it can press on brain tissue, including the area that controls breathing, so it can be fatal, he was told.

He decided to have radiation rather than surgery, based on the size of the tumor, but his own research indicated Gamma Knife radiation was the "gold standard." The only problem was, Utah didn't have a Gamma Knife at the time. When he learned Intermountain would have one and confirmed with a consultation with Watson that he would be a good candidate, he opted to wait.

Before the surgery, he had an MRI at LDS Hospital, then was transported to Intermountain for a CT scan and the surgery, which lasted about 42 minutes, he said.

He was home by 2 p.m. and "feels fine."

He's unlikely to regain his lost hearing, he said, because that nerve was already compressed. But he's also unlikely now to have further complications from the growth.

Watson said the Perfexion is the first complete redesign of Gamma Knife technology and is "the best available in this century."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com