Health
casey martin Challenged PGA Over klippel trenaunay syndrome
Casey Martin Challenges PGA Tour Over Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome
Casey Martin, currently head golf coach at the University of Oregon in his native Eugene, has never let a birth defect deter him from his dream of becoming a professional golfer.
Although Martin suffers from a circulatory disorder that affects the performance of his right leg known as Klippel Trenaunay Weber Syndrome, he petitioned the PGA Tour for the right to use a golf cart to transport himself and his clubs between holes during competiton. When PGA officials refused his request, he filed a lawsuit in 2001 which was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court decided in Martin’s favor, saying that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 awarded him the right to be able to use a golf cart during competition on the PGA Tour.
It took several years until Martin was awarded his legal victory and he kept playing all of that time, using a golf cart to facilitate getting from one hole to the next, although he did not win any major titles. When Golf Digest polled its readers regarding whether or not they agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision, 52 percent indicated they did not, while 47 percent said they agreed.
“This 10 year-old male presented for assessment of leg length discrepancy and cutaneous “capillary” vascular malformation. The provisional diagnosis was Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.
The axial fat-saturated T2 weighted MRI above shows dilated vascular structures in the right lower limb involving subcutaneous and multiple muscle compartments. Flow voids and pulsation artefact (particularly laterally) suggest a high flow component consistent with arteriovenous malformation. These findings favour Parkes Weber syndrome over Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. There was no high output cardiac failure in this case.
Vascular malformations can be divided into high flow (predominantly AV malformations) and low flow (capillary, venous, lymphatic and mixed). Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome usually involves an entire limb and is of the mixed, slow-flow type. Parkes Weber syndrome also typically invloves an entire limb, but the malformation contains high-flow components.” (dr Dawes)
On The Web:
Casey Martin has “Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, a congenital circulatory disorder that causes severe swelling in his right leg” (Charlie Nobles, in The New York Times)
“Martin suffers from a congenital circulatory disorder in his right leg…which causes severe swelling and pain, and is incurable” (Garry Smits, in The Florida Times-Union)
Martin has “a congenital circulatory disorder that hinders his ability to walk” (Marcia Chambers, in The New York Times)
“Martin (is) afflicted with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, congenital circulatory disorder that causes severe pain and swelling in his right leg…” (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dave Anderson, in The New York Times)
