Five years ago my father had an abnormal joining of the blood vessels within his spinal cord at level T3/4, (between the shoulder blades). The technical term is a dural arteriovenous fistula or DAVF. The condition is rare and can occur anywhere in the spinal cord or occasionally within the brain. 

The ‘cure’ requires surgery within the spinal cord to repair the blood vessels. The consequence of a late diagnosis and late surgery (as his was) is spinal cord damage and paraplegia or partial paraplegia. There is no recovery from the paraplegia as nerves and nerve connections are damaged slowly as the illness progresses and also during the operation.

The causes of this condition have not been established although there are some surgeons who believe it is a late development following trauma.

This can happen to anybody at any time and every year thousands of people are affected by a brain tumor, stroke or over 200 different neurological conditions. The Brain and Spine Foundation are commited to providing reliable information and support to people living with neurological conditions across the UK.