Bekzod Abdulakhatov was diagnosed with a tumour near his spine after he complained of pain in the area
A mistaken diagnosis and subsequent disastrous surgery had left Uzbekistan national Bekzod Abdulakhatov, a former athlete, wheelchair-bound. Two years down the line, thanks to a corrective procedure conducted in India, the 35-year-old is now able to walk again. Bekzod was diagnosed with a tumour near his spine after he complained of pain in the area. A critical surgery was done in Tashkent, his hometown, to remove the supposed tumour. Even after the procedure, the pain did not subside and Bekzod lost all movement in his lower body.
"Though I was diagnosed with a tumour near the spine, I was happy that with the right treatment, I will be able to get rid of the pain. But things did not work out and I had to take to a wheelchair," he said. Then a relative suggested that the family should visit India.
It turned out that Bekzod did not have a tumour at all. He was actually suffering from spinal Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), an easily curable birth defect, which somehow went unnoticed for 33 long years.
AVM is a circulatory system defect, believed to arise during embryonic or foetal development or soon after the birth. It is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins that bypasses the capillary system. It can cause intense pain or bleeding or lead to other complications.
"Bekzod came on a wheelchair but he was determined to stand up on his feet once again, displaying the true spirit of an athlete," said Dr Vikas Gupta, Director and HoD, Neurosurgery and Interventional and Endovascular Neurosurgery, BLK Super Speciality Hospital. A spinal neurovascular angiography at the hospital revealed that too many blood vessels were cluttered in one area.
"The AVM was stuck to his spine and was spreading in between his spinal disks like a parasite. After the surgery in Tashkent, the blood clot around his spine was removed, but it reappeared within a few weeks and started choking his spinal cord. The high pressure on the spine crippled him," said Dr Gupta.
An eight-hour long embolisation procedure was done to correct the anomaly. "I am finally able to walk on my own. Doctors have advised me few months of rest then I can run," said Bekzod.
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