Severe case of elephantiasis successfully treated at the Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine

Alyona Zaripova, a patient from Chelyabinsk Oblast, graciously agreed to share her treatment process with the media.

Ms. Zaripova first started suffering from edema in 1995 after having given birth to her second child. Erysipelas and trophic ulcers progressed while the woman did not receive specialized treatment for a long time. This led to the development of elephantiasis in both legs. When she turned to the Center’s Department of Lymphology a year ago, each of her legs reached 120 centimeters in girth, and because of this, Zaripova could not move independently. Since there was no effect from the treatment prescribed in the hospital at her place of residence, the doctors offered her amputation. Due to long-term debilitation and loss of hope, the patient suffered from severe depression.

The treatment started in September 2020 under Department of Lymphology’s head Aygiz Feyskhanov.

“The first two stages included conservative methods, where we tried to reduce edemas and correct the concomitant pathology,” he says. “For the third stage, she was hospitalized on our premises. Here, she was treated for three months by several specialists – surgeon, cardiologist, endocrinologist, physical therapist, psychologist, neurologist, and speech therapist. The girth of the legs has been reduced to 80 centimeters. 74 papillomas have been surgically removed. She was finally able to walk. Apart from that, Ms. Zaripova basically didn’t speak at all, which apparently was a complication from her stroke – so she needed assistance from psychologists and speech therapists. After the treatment, her speech improved significantly, and she is now fond of reading as well.”

Dr. Feyskhanov emphasized that lymphedema is not a life sentence, and it can be treated if tackled during early stages.

“We plan to continue treating Alyona Zaripova after several months,” he adds. “We have to improve the condition of her feet. We hope that after the next stage she’ll be able to return to her usual shoe size – currently she is only able to wear Russian size 45, which is not routinely found in stores for women and has to be commissioned from a shoemaker.”

Alyona had to share words of gratitude during her checkout, “I want to extend my thankfulness to Aygiz Feyskhanov for his professionalism, optimism, kindness, and care. He gave me hope and faith, and now my life is separated into two parts – before and after my treatment. This is my chance for a new life.”

During the Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine’s 8 years of work, over 1,000 patients from 51 Russian provinces and several foreign countries have been treated here.

Currently, the Department of Lymphology is also a part of a large project with Rusfond (a medical charity foundation) of treating children with genetic lymphatic disorders.

 

Source text: Larisa Busil

Photo: Artyom Styufeev

Translation: Yury Nurmeev