MEDIA ADVISORY What: "The Operation," a one-hour television program featuring a pituitary tumor removal performed by Dr. Edward R. Laws Jr., a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia When: Scheduled to appear Saturday, April 19, from 8-9 p.m. and 11 p.m.-midnight Where: The Learning Channel A television crew from Advanced Medical Productions of Chapel Hill, N.C., taped the procedure in November 1996. The patient, a Bel Air, Md. man named Morton Hirschberg, suffered from acromegaly, a condition in which the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone. Acromegaly can result in abnormal growth, heart disease, joint problems, diabetes, hypertension, impaired peripheral vision, swollen hands, dental problems and an enlarged tongue, among other ailments. Professional wrestler Andre the Giant and perhaps even the Biblical figure Goliath suffered from the malady. Dr. Laws is an expert in pituitary tumor removal, as well as in the surgical treatment of epilepsy. U.Va. "has probably done more [pituitary tumor removals] than anybody in the world," Dr. Laws said. "The Operation" introduces Hirschberg before his surgery, peeks over Dr. LawsÕ shoulder during the three-hour procedure, and follows the patient through his recovery. He was back at his job at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds three weeks after the procedure. This is the second time a U.Va. surgeon has been featured on "The Operation." In April 1995, Dr. John Jane performed a spinal fusion on then-15-year-old Mary Wilcher, the daughter of the associate producer of the most recent taping, Deanie Wilcher. Mary Wilcher had been injured in a gymnastics accident, and is doing very well and has taken up diving, her mother reported. ### April 11, 1997 Dr. Laws can be reached at (804) 924-2650 or (804) 982-3753, or via electronic mail at el5g@virginia.edu. Morton Hirschberg can be reached at (410) 838-3758. Advanced Medical ProductionsÕ phone number is (919) 933-3553. Television reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.