Division of General and Oncologic Surgery

Success Stories

78-Year-Old Woman Glad to Have Minimally Invasive Surgical Option at University of Maryland Medical Center

Lucille Moore

In early 2008, Lucille Moore, a resident of Salisbury, Md., met with a local surgeon because of a tumor on her adrenal gland. The surgeon told her that she needed to have her adrenal glands and kidney removed due to cancer, and that the only way to do this was through an open procedure. But Moore wanted a second opinion, so she asked her niece, a doctor in New York, for her help. Her niece did some research and found Dr. Patricia Turner through the University of Maryland Medical Center Web site. Dr. Turner is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Moore first came to see Dr. Turner in February of 2008. She was evaluated and learned that Dr. Turner could do a laparoscopic adrenalectomy and that it did not have to be done as an open procedure.

“She showed that I had a tumor on my adrenal gland but she couldn’t tell if it was benign or not. When she showed me the CT films she said she could remove the tumor without removing my kidney,” recalled Moore. “I thought she was nice and knew what she was talking about. She seemed quite competent.”

Moore had her surgery on May 9^th, 2008.

After the surgery Moore was in the hospital for a couple of days. “My recovery was good,” she said. “It took about six weeks to get back to normal where I could lift certain things. I was fine after a week or two. I could do everything else but lift. I didn’t have a lot of pain.”

Moore went for follow up care a month later. Everything went well and she was informed that the tumor was not malignant, and she did not have cancer.

And Dr. Turner was also happy with the results. “Mrs. Moore has done quite well, and truly is a success story of laparoscopic surgery,” Turner said.

Moore was very happy with Dr. Turner, mainly because, “She gave me a better option than the other doctor. She is nice, full of confidence. I liked her a lot.”

And overall, she was happy with the care she received at the Medical Center. “I think everyone was nice. All of them -- the doctors, nurses, technicians, food service workers and aides — were very nice and kind.”

By Michelle W. Murray

This page was last updated on: March 22, 2012.

If you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services, please call 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).