Child with Blood Pressure Gets Treated by Custom-Made Equipment

Matthew Gaythorpe was treated for a rare disease that sends his blood pressure soaring and triggered a stroke, by conducting a world-first surgical treatment that was extremely successful.

Ten year old Matthew Gaythorpe had been diagnosed with a rare disease that is caused as a result of  a combination of kidney and liver conditions called autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease and congenital hepatic fibrosis.  At the age of four, he was found to be suffering from chronic sleep disorder narcolepsy. Last year he had a minor stroke and ever since has been experiencing extereme fatigue which requires him to take about 30 medications a day.

Doctor finally granted permission to conduct a highly complicated surgery on him which used a custom made device. The surgery was said to be the first of its kind.

"Using innovative radio frequency technology, we were able to effectively zap some of the nerves and tissue surrounding Matthew's renal arteries," said surgeon Ian Meredith from the Monash Heart institute in a report published in AFP. "This has resulted in a noticeable reduction in Matthew's symptoms and blood pressure."

The plea to conduct this surgery had to undergo three panels of doctors until it finally got approved.

"We didn't know whether it was going to work in a child, whether it was appropriate to do in a child and whether it should be done in a person with such a complex set of illnesses," the surgeon said. "But on balance we collectively as a team came together and felt on compassionate grounds it would be a good thing to do."

Mathew's mother Alex Gaythorpe said the results from the surgery have been extremely evident and positive as there is a drastic improvement in Mathew's health conditions, both physically and mentally.

"He has begun reading novels again," she said. "It may seem trivial but (it's) something he hasn't been able to do for a while. He is also focusing more at school."

Gaythorpe said her son "was often referred to as a puzzle with pieces that didn't quite fit" but the surgery had given him a new lease on life, also putting off the prospect of transplants and dialysis. "Avoiding that for as long as possible is a bonus. We now have hope," she said.