A Bradford man who spent 15 years living with a potentially life-threatening condition in his brain has become the first patient in the UK to benefit from a pioneering new treatment.
Zehair Ayub was fit, active, running his own business and raising a young family when he was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in 2011.
The rare condition causes an abnormal tangle of connections between arteries and veins, disrupting normal blood circulation and leaving blood vessels vulnerable to rupturing and causing potentially fatal bleeding.
For Zehair, the AVM was located deep within his brain and had also developed a large aneurysm which was pressing on his visual nerves.
Over the years, his eyesight deteriorated and he began suffering seizures, weakness on his right side and problems with coordination.
But perhaps most difficult was knowing that a major brain haemorrhage could happen at any time.
“When I was diagnosed, I was fit and healthy,” Zehair said. “I played football and cricket, went to the gym and was always active.
“Then almost overnight, everything changed. I’d gone from never having heard of an AVM before to being told I had this rare condition and that it could cause a catastrophic bleed.
“I had a young family and my own business. I just wanted to get back to normal and carry on with my life.”
Zehair underwent Gamma Knife therapy in Sheffield after his diagnosis, but it proved ineffective.
He continued exploring other possibilities over the following years, but none offered a good chance of success. Because the AVM was so deep within his brain, conventional surgery was considered too dangerous.
“For 15 years I lived with the AVM, but I was eventually told there were no treatment options left,” he said.
“Everything was getting worse so quickly. My eyesight was failing, my coordination was going, I knew I needed help.”
That help eventually came just a few miles from home.
Zehair met Leeds Teaching Hospitals Consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist Dr Fathallah Islim, who had completed a fellowship at a centre in Germany involved in the European trial of a new treatment called ihtObtura.
As the trial was not taking place in the UK, Dr Islim secured special approval for Zehair to receive the treatment on compassionate grounds.
The innovative liquid embolic agent is injected into affected blood vessels, closing them and preventing blood from flowing abnormally through the AVM.
Unlike existing embolic agents, ihtObtura is no longer visible on scans after a short period, allowing doctors to see the blood vessels more clearly and accurately guide subsequent procedures.
It means large and historically untreatable AVMs can potentially be treated safely in stages.
With international trial experts travelling to Leeds General Infirmary to support the Leeds team, Zehair underwent four rounds of treatment
between September 2025 and May 2026.
The results have been life-changing.
His AVM is now completely closed, the aneurysm has disappeared and his physical symptoms have significantly improved.
Zehair said: “I knew I was taking a chance on a new treatment, but I had complete confidence in the team.
“Having experts from Leeds working alongside colleagues from Germany and Spain gave me real reassurance that I was in the best possible hands.”
Dr Islim said treating brain AVMs in this way carried significant risks, but the new material had helped cure Zehair’s condition.
“Obtura is a new innovative material that has helped cure Zehair’s AVM and help him get his life back, which made us very happy for him and his family,” he said.
“We are eager to get European and UK approval for use and help other patients in the near future.”
For Zehair and his family, however, the breakthrough means something much more immediate: after 15 years of uncertainty, he can begin looking forward again.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone involved,” he said.
“Dr Fathallah and the whole team gave me hope when I thought I’d run out of options.
“Thanks to this treatment, not only has my own life changed, but I know other patients will benefit from it in the future too.”
