Doctors in Seattle had resort to a new experimental treatment in order to relieve a little girl from her excruciating leg pain. Fortunately, the procedure was a success and the child can now walk normally after years of intolerable discomfort.
Madison Fairchild was just 3 years old when she began feeling a bruise on her leg. Kristen Fairchild was convinced her daughter had an injury even though no scars were visible.
"Every time we bumped it she would scream or start crying," Kristen told ABC News. "After a month of constantly complaining about why her leg hurt, we got her leg checked."
A CT scan showed that Madison had an unusual mass of entangled veins in her leg. The clumps stretched from her calf to her thigh. Doctors said the irregularity was a form of venous malformation.
According to Boston Children's Hospital, venous malformation is a birth defect in which abnormally shaped veins widen as a child grows older. The disorganized veins do not untangle on their own and usually reverts to its original state even after treatment.
Doctors told the Fairchilds in 2014 that all they could do is to let Madison undergo palliative treatments which would temporarily minimize the discomfort. Kristen said her daughter tried therapy and pain management, but the pain would recur in just a few weeks.
Dr. Jonathan Perkins, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Seattle Children's Hospital, recently talked to the Fairchilds about an experimental treatment which involves the introduction of medical-grade superglue into the veins. This would allow the veins to be removed with less complications.
Kristen admitted that she was initially sceptical about the procedure, but doctors later reassured her of the merits of the new treatment. Surgeons carefully mapped out the veins so that the substance would not enter the child's bloodstream. It took them two procedures to successfully remove the malformations in Madison's leg.
Dr. Giridhar Shivaram said Madison may require additional surgery if doctors had missed some part of the malformation which might inflame in the future. However, the chances of this happening are slim to none.
Kirsten pointed out that Madison's condition greatly improved shortly after the procedure. The happy mother said, "Four days later, she's walking. It's a totally different child. Her outlook is more positive."
