Burnley boy faces gruelling treatment after brain op fails (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burnley boy faces gruelling treatment after brain op fails

2:35pm Wednesday 23rd June 2010 in

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A BRAVE boy is facing two years of gruelling radiotherapy after an operation to correct a rare brain condition failed.

Eight-year-old Ethan Myers, of Brownside Road, Worsthorne, had a two-and-a-half-hour operation to remove faulty blood vessels last Friday.

However, his mum Lauren, 24, said doctors at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital were unsuccessful.

Describing the moment she broke the news to him, she said: “He woke up after the operation and asked if he was better now and I had to tell him it hadn’t worked.

“It’s been really traumatic for him, but he’s coped really well. It’s awful for Ethan and really stressful for us both.

“Whatever we decide to do now, it’s going to be an ordeal for him.”

The condition – known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – was first detected in December 2008 after Ethan hit his head while playing at school. A few hours after the accident, Ethan started vomiting and complaining of severe headaches.

Fearing he had meningitis, Lauren took him to Burnley General Hospital but said doctors thought he had a virus and sent him home.

Lauren said this advice was given after he had vomited up to nine times while he was being looked at by doctors.

One week later Ethan’s condition had not improved so Lauren, fearing he had a concussion, took him back to the hospital.

She said a doctor told her a scan should have been carried out when he was first seen, but sent her to Royal Blackburn Hospital as they were not able to conduct scans at Burnley at the weekend.

The scan revealed that Ethan had bleeding on the brain and that it had been that way for a week.

Lauren said doctors told her he was lucky not to have died or suffered brain damage as a result of the bleeding.

Ethan was referred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, where further tests revealed he had the previously undetected AVM, which is an abnormal connection between veins and arteries at the rear of the brain.

Lauren said prior to his condition being diagnosed, Ethan was active and enjoyed riding a motorcycle around their farm and judo.

However, it led to the youngster, who attends St John’s CE Primary, Cliviger, having difficulty concentrating and remembering things.

Lauren said he has problems with his eyesight and that he would not be able to play contact sports until the faulty vessels were removed.

The post-graduate student, who is training to be a secondary school RE teacher, said she was disappointed with the service at Burnley General Hospital.

She said: “The doctors in Manchester have been great, but I have lost faith in Burnley General Hospital.

“I accepted it when they told me he had a virus, but I think he should have had a scan. I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Lancashire Telegraph medical expert Dr Tom Smith said Burnley should have treated the initial visit as a ‘red flag’ set of circumstances.

He said: “The AVM means he was at risk of a brain haemorrhage even after a minor fall.

“In that week there would have been a risk of blinding because the AVM was in the part of the brain at the back, which deals with vision.

“What should happen when any child falls at school and has persistent headaches and vomiting is that they have a brain scan.

“I find it very sad that so many doctors saw him but didn’t send him for a scan.”

Peter Weller, associate director of patient safety and governance, said “I am sorry that Ethan’s family have concerns regarding the assessment and treatment from East Lancashire Hospitals in December 2008.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment publicly on Ethan’s treatment because we have a duty to protect all our patients’ confidentiality.

"Ethan’s family have not approached the trust, but we would urge them to contact us so that we can meet and discuss their concerns in detail.”