Surgery

THE MAGIC WORD during the near-15- minute-long briefing of Roy Halladay's recent surgery and upcoming rehab from Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti? Possible. As in, all things are possible. Is it realistic to expect Roy Halladay back on a major league mound this season? According to Ciccotti, "It's very possible. " Would more time to recover - and thus, being shut down for the remainder of the season - help Halladay in the long run? "Very possible," Ciccotti said.

Dallas Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston will miss the rest of the season because of further neck problems related to 1997 surgery on a herniated disc. Johnston, 33, conceded the latest problem, discovered in tests Wednesday, could end his career. "It is going to be a tough decision," he said. "That will be considered at the end of the season. . .The strange thing is I thought after making it through last season, I'd be OK. " Johnston had surgery six weeks into the 1997 season to fuse two vertebrae in the neck.

In advanced emphysema, the lungs become progressively enlarged and overinflated. Sufferers are literally stuck holding more and more of their breath. Researchers have long tried to find ways to reduce lung volume and improve airflow without resorting to risky surgery. Now, three promising lung-shrinking techniques - coils, one-way valves, and an injectable sealant - are in or near clinical testing at Temple University and other U.S. medical centers. All three methods are already approved in Europe.

John Elway, one month removed from his first Super Bowl victory, had minor surgery on his right shoulder yesterday and should recover within six weeks. "It was routine, and it was successful," Broncos spokesman Paul Kirk said. Elway, who has not said whether he will return for his 16th NFL season, reportedly had said he would not have the surgery if he planned to retire. He will have better range of motion and less pain when he throws, Denver trainer Steve Antonopulos said.

Powerful state Sen. Vince Fumo will fly to Cleveland next week for heart surgery, sources have told the Daily News. The sources, who asked not to be identified, said the surgery was an elective procedure to correct a leaky valve, and is not considered to be high-risk. The Philadelphia Democrat chose to go to Cleveland, the sources said, because a surgeon there is a nationally known expert in the kind of surgery Fumo needs. The Cleveland Clinic is a highly regarded cardiac care hospital.

Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo was back at his Kentucky federal prison Friday after a visit to a nearby hospital to investigate three heart blockages discovered during a checkup. Doctors have recommended that Fumo, 69, have heart bypass surgery to deal with one, in which an artery is 95 percent closed. U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) said he had talked to members of Fumo's family, who said they were trying to determine where to have the surgery. Fumo's family had hoped to have him treated at a hospital in Philadelphia, but that will be difficult because he is a federal prisoner.

At 14, Noah Kipfmiller has begun to think about what he'd like to be when he grows up. "Kind of like a video game designer," said the Bay City, Mich., eighth grader. He does not ponder his distinction as the world's first person to have had successful fetal surgery for a devastating spinal cord birth defect. "I have a scrapbook," his mother, Mellissa, said of the hoopla surrounding her son's 1998 birth. "I showed it to Noah. He's just not that into it yet. " Although Noah may not appreciate it, he is a measure of the success - and the implacable limits - of fetal surgery for severe spina bifida, which only recently ceased to be deemed experimental.

NEW YORK GIANTS defensive end Osi Umenyiora is having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and likely will miss the season opener on Sept. 11. General manager Jerry Reese says yesterday that Umenyiora "let me know that he wanted to have the surgery now. " Umenyiora has been a headline all summer, as he did not report to training camp with the team following the lockout. Finally, on Monday, he unhappily reported under the terms of his current deal, and worked out for 3 days before his knee began to swell.

First, Flyers goalie Robert Esche had to bear being on the losing end of the NHL Eastern Conference finals. Now, Esche apparently has lost a chance to compete in the World Cup in September. Officials from Team USA said yesterday that Esche, a member of the 26-player roster set to defend Team USA's World Cup title, will have surgery on his left hip Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He is expected to be out of action for three to four months but available for Flyers training camp in mid-September if a collective-bargaining agreement is reached.

Flyers left winger Simon Gagne underwent successful surgery yesterday at Pennsylvania Hospital to repair his partially dislocated left shoulder and a small tear in his labrum. "He's doing well," said team orthopedic surgeon, Art Bartolozzi, who performed the approximate 90-minute surgery along with Peter DeLuca. Trainer John Worley observed. Bartolozzi said as soon as Gagne's pain subsides, he will begin rehabilitation. Gagne dislocated the shoulder on Feb. 24 against Tampa Bay when he threw an errant punch that missed Lightning forward Andrei Zyuzin.

Eagles tight end James Casey underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this week and will miss the remainder of organized team activities. The recovery usually takes only a few weeks, so Casey should be back in time for training camp this summer. "I had a minor scope done on my right knee," Casey, 28, wrote on his Twitter account. "I'll be back to full speed in two weeks. Better to get it taken care of now. " A four-year veteran, Casey signed a three-year, $14.6 million contract in March.

San Francisco may have a one-game-to-none lead over Washington in the teams' current series, but the Giants and Nationals are even-steven when it comes to broken right hands on righthanders. (The Nats, however, have an overwhelming edge in margin of stupidity, as we'll explain.) Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong, the pride of Octorara Area High, suffered two broken bones in his pitching hand fouling one off in the fifth inning of Monday's 8-0 win over the Nationals. He had surgery on Tuesday morning and is likely out for two months or more.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski underwent a fourth surgery on his forearm Monday and doctors believe his previous infection is gone, a league source told ESPN.com. Doctors put new plates in to repair the previously broken left forearm. The estimated timetable for recovery is around 10 weeks, assuming there are no setbacks. Gronkowski originally broke the arm Nov. 18 in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned to action on Dec. 30 in the regular-season finale, then broke the forearm again in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 13 against the Houston Texans.

THE MAGIC WORD during the near-15- minute-long briefing of Roy Halladay's recent surgery and upcoming rehab from Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti? Possible. As in, all things are possible. Is it realistic to expect Roy Halladay back on a major league mound this season? According to Ciccotti, "It's very possible. " Would more time to recover - and thus, being shut down for the remainder of the season - help Halladay in the long run? "Very possible," Ciccotti said.

Sophomore and junior years are prime time for many NCAA Division I prospects, and that's when Jordan Prutzer did practically nothing on the softball field. The lefthanded pitcher sat out her sophomore season at Methacton because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. She sat out her junior season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. She missed most of her travel-team seasons, too. "After my knee injuries, I wasn't sure if Division I would ever happen for me," Prutzer said.

PHOENIX - A day after his 36th birthday, Roy Halladay will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The Phillies announced the news before last night's game against the Diamondbacks. Halladay had been mulling his options but decided to have the procedure done in Los Angeles on Wednesday by Neal ElAttrache, the doctor who examined him earlier this week. "I liked him, I thought he was spot-on," Halladay said on Wednesday in San Francisco, when he announced that he would need surgery.

SAN FRANCISCO - The first positive sign came on Tuesday night, when Roy Halladay checked back into the clubhouse at AT&T Park and was wearing his regular Phillies workout gear following the team's win over the Giants. He didn't look like a guy preparing a retirement speech. The next came about 12 hours later, when an upbeat Halladay wore both his game uniform and an ear-to-ear grin as he greeted reporters a couple of hours before his scheduled news conference. "Are you guys going to grill me?"

SAN FRANCISCO - Roy Halladay slouched on a couch Wednesday morning and kept a large cup of coffee at his side while the rest of the Phillies clubhouse stirred before another day of baseball. He watched Atlanta against Cincinnati on TV. They played the game to which he has dedicated his life. A surgeon will soon cut a small incision in Halladay's right shoulder, and it will be months before he can pitch again. Still, he smiled Wednesday. He vowed that it would take more to pry baseball from his prized but defective arm. "I have no regrets at any point in my career," Halladay said.

NEWARK, N.J. - Answering questions about weight-loss surgery he had kept secret for 12 weeks, Gov. Christie on Tuesday rejected a political motivation but squelched most other inquiries about the details. He declined to say how much he weighs now and how much weight he has lost. It's none of anyone's business, he said. He conceded he used an alias at the hospital, but declined to say what it was. "I turned 50 years old, and it made me think - [you get] confronted with your own mortality as you start to age," Christie said.

As America's average girth has grown and surgery has proven a relatively effective treatment for obesity, procedures that reduce the size of the stomach have grown in popularity and acceptance. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says that 200,000 Americans have weight-loss surgery each year. Besides helping people lose weight, the society says the surgery reduces the odds that they will die from cancer, heart disease or diabetes. In more than three-quarters of cases, surgery resolves or improves Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea, the group says.