Bradford Man First in UK to Get New Brain Treatment

For 15 years, Zehair Ayub lived with a ticking time bomb in his brain that doctors couldn't fix.

The Bradford father was diagnosed in 2011 with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare tangle of blood vessels where arteries and veins connect abnormally. The AVM sat deep in his brain, causing seizures, right-sided weakness, and steadily worsening vision as a large aneurysm pressed against his visual nerves.

"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," Zehair said. "I had a young family and my own business. I just wanted to get back to normal and carry on with my life."

But normal seemed impossible. The once-active man who loved football, cricket, and the gym watched his body fail him. His coordination slipped away. His eyesight dimmed. Every treatment failed.

Then Dr. Fathallah Islim at Leeds Teaching Hospitals offered one last chance. He'd trained in Germany on a new treatment called IhtObtura, a liquid injected into affected blood vessels to close them and stop abnormal blood flow. The therapy was part of a European trial not yet happening in the UK.

Dr. Islim secured special approval for Zehair to receive the treatment. Between September 2025 and May 2026, Zehair underwent four rounds of the therapy.

The results transformed his life. His AVM is now fully closed. The aneurysm has vanished. His physical symptoms have significantly improved.

The Ripple Effect

Zehair's successful treatment marks a turning point for patients with untreatable AVMs across the UK. Dr. Islim said the therapy offers hope for cases previously considered too risky, giving clinicians a new tool for conditions that once had no solution.

"The risks are high and daunting for both the clinician and patient," Dr. Islim explained. "Obtura is a new innovative material that has helped cure Zehair's AVM and help him get his life back."

For Zehair, the impact reaches beyond his own recovery. He knows other families facing the same terrifying diagnosis will now have options where none existed before.

"Dr. Fathallah and the whole team gave me hope when I thought I'd run out of options," Zehair said. "Thanks to this treatment, not only has my own life changed, but I know other patients will benefit from it in the future too."