Patient Travels From Pakistan to South Nassau

Imran Ghauri, a native of Pakistan, had been suffering from bad headaches on and off for a few years. Diagnostic tests had offered little in the way of hope for relief.
Then, in August of 2001 he suffered a severe attack with a sudden, blinding headache and seizure and knew something was terribly wrong.
Pain in his spine led to an initial concern that the pain was related to his back, but tests, including back X-rays, and a visit to an orthopedic surgeon ruled that out as the cause of the headaches. As the pain continued, he was advised to see a neurosurgeon who, following a CT scan, MRI and angiogram, made the diagnosis; an arterial venous malformation, commonly known as an AVM.
It was determined that Mr. Ghauri had suffered a "bleed" or hemorrhage as a result of the AVM, a small, congenital abnormal tangle of blood vessels, that is potentially debilitating and life-threatening.
According to Mr. Ghauri and his brother Adnan, who lives in Elmont, New York, doctors in Pakistan were concerned, and recommended surgery. However, the AVM was tiny and deeply embedded within Mr. Ghauri's brain.
In cases of open surgery, which can cure the AVM, the surgery itself can be the principle risk factor. As a result, Mr. Ghauri decided against the surgery, choosing instead to wait and see if the pain would reoccur.
When Mr. Ghauri, a former Merchant Marine who now owns a shipping export business, suffered another attack, his family began looking into different treatments for his condition, among them the gamma knife.
"I did research on the Internet and short-listed three hospitals that had a gamma knife," said Adnan Ghauri. After speaking with Michael Brisman, MD, Co-Director of the Long Island Gamma Knife at South Nassau, he decided it was his brother.s best chance for recovery.
Dr. Brisman said he made the right choice. "We had to wait for the blood to clear to get a good view. Once it was clear we were able to pinpoint exactly where the abnormality was. It was very deep and not accessible. The gamma knife was definitely the best option for him."
Each year, Dr. Brisman explained, there is a three to four percent chance of a "bleed," which can be "like a time bomb" waiting to go off. If it does bleed, there is a 50% chance of it being life threatening.
Mr. Ghauri had the gamma knife procedure on April 21 and a few days later he returned to Dr. Brisman's office to thank him. "I was very nervous. I didn't know what to expect. But it was not uncomfortable at all. I didn.t feel anything. I am so grateful to Dr. Brisman and the team at South Nassau. Everyone was so helpful and friendly. I have my life back," he said.
For information on the Long Island Gamma Knife, call 1-866-Gamma-Knife.