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Andrew PattinsonBritish man with rare Moyamoya disease
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Andrew Pattinson: Battling a Rare Disease
- Diagnosis: Moyamoya Syndrome
- Symptoms Mistaken for Intoxication
- Brain Scans Reveal "Puffs of Smoke"
- 10-Hour Surgery Improves Blood Flow
- Raising Awareness of Moyamoya Syndrome
- About Moyamoya Syndrome
Andrew Pattinson: Battling a Rare Disease
Andrew Pattinson, a 39-year-old British man, awakened in a state of confusion and paralysis, fearing he had suffered a stroke. Dismissing his concerns, doctors initially attributed his symptoms to intoxication. However, persistent neurological issues prompted Pattinson to seek further medical attention.
Diagnosis: Moyamoya Syndrome
After extensive tests at the Walton Centre in Liverpool, Pattinson was diagnosed with moyamoya syndrome, a rare genetic condition that restricts blood flow to the brain. Brain scans revealed he had experienced over 100 transient ischemic attacks (mini-strokes). To prevent potential speech loss and comprehension difficulties, doctors advised surgery within two months.
Symptoms Mistaken for Intoxication
"My speech was slurred and they didn't believe me that something was wrong. They all just thought I was drunk," Pattinson recalled. "I kept saying that I'd had a stroke because I couldn't do things as easily as before. I still knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't get the words out."
Brain Scans Reveal "Puffs of Smoke"
Pattinson's unusual symptoms originated in March 2014 when he briefly lost the ability to move any part of his body. After a visit to a neurologist, he returned to work, only to experience numbness in his right hand. A comprehensive examination at the Walton Centre finally identified the cause of his condition.
"Looking at my brain scans, they started counting all these little scars. They said that I'd had nearly 100 mini-strokes," Pattinson said. "It was the radiologist in Liverpool who told me I'd had a stroke, and if I didn't have an operation within two months, I could lose my speech and comprehension."
10-Hour Surgery Improves Blood Flow
Pattinson's narrowed carotid artery, a major blood vessel supplying the brain, had been starving his brain of oxygen in recent months. The "puffs of smoke" visible on his brain scans, tiny blood vessels that develop in moyamoya syndrome in an attempt to increase blood flow, were a hallmark of the rare disease.
During a subsequent 10-hour surgery to improve blood supply, doctors drilled a hole in Pattinson's skull and used arteries from his legs to augment blood flow. Today, the 39-year-old is on the road to recovery.
"They saw 'puffs of smoke' in my brain, these teeny tiny blood vessels that appear because of moyamoya to try and increase the blood flow," Pattinson explained. "You get these episodes of stroke-like symptoms. They can go away as your brain gets the blood flowing again, but they leave little scars from the lack of oxygen."
"I ended up having a 10-hour operation where they peeled my scalp back and drilled a hole in my skull," he added. "They took a vein from my leg and joined it to the carotid artery in my neck to help increase the blood flow."
Raising Awareness of Moyamoya Syndrome
Pattinson emphasizes the importance of awareness about moyamoya syndrome to prevent misdiagnosis. "People need to know about moyamoya, including medical professionals, because otherwise people can end up being wrongly diagnosed," he cautioned. "If they hadn't found what had caused it and hadn't operated, I could have been dead or left disabled. I'm very lucky to be here."
About Moyamoya Syndrome
Moyamoya syndrome is a rare disorder affecting the blood vessels at the base of the brain. The condition causes the arteries that supply blood to the brain to narrow, restricting blood flow. It can lead to mini-strokes (transient ischemic attacks) and major strokes.
Moyamoya is primarily seen in children, but as Andrew Pattinson's case demonstrates, it can also affect adults. Transient ischemic attacks can cause difficulty with speech, vision, and weakness or numbness in the face, arms, or legs. However, TIA's are not as prolonged as strokes, lasting from a few minutes to several hours and typically resolving within 24 hours.
