LAHORE, April 11: A fourmember team of Lahore General Hospital (LGH) surgeons has successfully removed Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) from the face of a woman after a seven-hour procedure.

Headed by Postgraduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Dr Tariq Salahuddin, the team performed the complicated surgery on 25-year-old Fakhira, of Sattiana Road, Faisalabad, who had been suffering from the disease for the lastseveralyears.

A team member, Capt Dr Bashir Ahmad, said the AVM was an abnormal connection between veins and arteries and was generally thought to be a congenital disorder.

He said Fakhira had developed AVM at birth and was facing immense trouble in leading a normal life as the disorder had covered almost whole of her face, particularly during the last couple of years.

He said the AVM was not a rare disorder as 15 per cent of a population of 1,000 people was suffering from it. He said an AVM in the brain was rather a complicated case which could cause epilepsy.

Dr Bashir said the patient would be discharged from the hospital after a week or so.

The chief minister had directed the LGH principal to provide free treatment to the woman. He referred the case to the LGH when he came to know that Fakhira had no brother and the family was facing huge financial problems.Staff Reporter