Bengaluru: Thirty-three-year-old Emmanuel is going back to his home in Ghana, Africa on Monday, after being cured of a rare life-threatening disorder.
Emmanuel was suffering from Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), which affects blood flow. In AVM patients a bunch of worm-like tubes get formed between the vein and arteries, blocking the blood flow through the capillaries.
Blood rushes through these tubes instead of capillaries which lead to haemorrhage. Emmanuel had previously survived a haemorrhage.
"It was then he realised that he has AVM and aneurysm. The doctors in Ghana said that they did not have the expertise to operate him. The condition was so complex that any bleeding during his travel to India or on the operation table, could have led to a stroke or death," said Dr Deshpande V Rajakumar, Director, Neurosurgery, Fortis Hospitals, Bengaluru.
During cerebral angiography, the patient was diagnosed to have multiple Aneurysms with AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation). The size of the AVM was 5.5 centimetre and could keep increasing in size if left unattended.
"We started the treatment process with MRI and brain angiogram. The AVM along with other Aneurysms were present far from each other under the skull. Because of this distance we had to conduct two craniotomies (opening of the skull) with the help of Neuronavigation," Dr Rajakumar said.
In order to get a better picture of the AVM during surgery, a 3D microscope was used. Indocyanine Green (ICG) was injected into the patient to spot the abnormality during surgery. "The nine-hour surgery was successful and we were able to clip all the aneurysms," he added.
The doctor said that AVM and Aneurysms can affect any person of any age and geographical location. "There is no test or screening done for this. And, everyone cannot go and get an MRI done," he elaborated.
If one has a sudden unexpected severe headache, which is out of the blue or a headache which is different than the usual ones then it is advisable to consult a neurosurgeon and get an MRI done, Dr Rajakumar said.
He said in such cases the brain and the body try to accommodate the malfunction as much as they can, but suddenly give way and if not treated on time it can be life-threatening.
Explaining about AVM, Dr Rajakumar said, "It disrupts blood supply to the body carried out by arteries and veins. It is most often seen in brain or spine. The cause for it remains unknown, but are usually formed later in life. When there is a rupture in AVM it leads to haemorrhage. This usually causes no symptoms and often goes unnoticed. Depending on the severity of the haemorrhage, brain damage or death may result."
Recounting his ordeal Emmanuel said, "When I suffered paralysis, I got to know what it was exactly. As I was not able to tolerate a headache anymore, I decided to get it treated. I had heard about Fortis Hospital and decided to come here. The doctors were supportive and understood my condition well and treated accordingly."
