Natural History of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations and the Risk of Hemorrhage after Radiosurgery

Author(s):  
Chun-Po Yen ◽  
David Schlesinger ◽  
Jason P. Sheehan
Neurosurgery ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S50-S59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Rubin ◽  
Andrew Brunswick ◽  
Howard Riina ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka

Abstract Arteriovenous malformations of the brain are a considerable source of morbidity and mortality for patients who harbor them. Although our understanding of this disease has improved, it remains in evolution. Advances in our ability to treat these malformations and the modes by which we address them have also improved substantially. However, the variety of patient clinical and disease scenarios often leads us into challenging and complex management algorithms as we balance the risks of treatment against the natural history of the disease. The goal of this article is to provide a focused review of the natural history of cerebral arteriovenous malformations, to examine the role of stereotactic radiosurgery, to discuss the role of endovascular therapy as it relates to stereotactic radiosurgery, and to look toward future advances.


2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. E7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Josh Abecassis ◽  
David S. Xu ◽  
H. Hunt Batjer ◽  
Bernard R. Bendok

Object The authors aimed to systematically review the literature to clarify the natural history of brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs). Methods The authors searched PubMed for one or more of the following terms: natural history, brain arteriovenous malformations, cerebral arteriovenous malformations, and risk of rupture. They included studies that reported annual rates of hemorrhage and that included either 100 patients or 5 years of treatment-free follow-up. Results The incidence of BAVMs is 1.12–1.42 cases per 100,000 person-years; 38%–68% of new cases are first-ever hemorrhage. The overall annual rates of hemorrhage for patients with untreated BAVMs range from 2.10% to 4.12%. Consistently implicated in subsequent hemorrhage are initial hemorrhagic presentation, exclusively deep venous drainage, and deep and infrantentorial brain location. The risk for rupture seems to be increased by large nidus size and concurrent arterial aneurysms, although these factors have not been studied as thoroughly. Venous stenosis has not been implicated in increased risk for rupture. Conclusions For patients with BAVMs, although the overall risk for hemorrhage seems to be 2.10%–4.12% per year, calculating an accurate risk profile for decision making involves clinical attention and accounting for specific features of the malformation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G. Fleetwood ◽  
Mary L. Marcellus ◽  
Richard P. Levy ◽  
Michael P. Marks ◽  
Gary K. Steinberg

Object. Patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in a deep location and with deep venous drainage are thought to be at higher risk for hemorrhage than those with AVMs in other locations. Despite this, the natural history of AVMs of the basal ganglia and thalamus has not been well studied. Methods. The authors retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 96 patients with AVMs in the basal ganglia and thalamus with respect to the tendency of these lesions to hemorrhage between the time of detection and their eventual successful management. The 96 patients studied had a mean age of 22.7 years at diagnosis, and 51% were male. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was the event leading to clinical detection in 69 patients (71.9%), and 85.5% of these patients were left with hemiparesis. After diagnosis, 25 patients bled a total of 49 times. The cumulative clinical follow up after detection but before surgical management was 500.2 patient-years. The risk of hemorrhage after detection of an AVM of the basal ganglia or thalamus was 9.8% per patient-year. Conclusions. The rate of ICH in patients with AVMs of the basal ganglia or thalamus (9.8%/year) is much higher than the rate in patients with AVMs in other locations (2–4%/year). The risk of incurring a neurological deficit with each hemorrhagic event is high. Treatment of these patients at specialized centers is recommended to prevent neurological injury from a spontaneous ICH.


1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Brown ◽  
David O. Wiebers ◽  
Glenn Forbes ◽  
W. Michael O'Fallon ◽  
David G. Piepgras ◽  
...  

✓ The authors conducted a long-term follow-up study of 168 patients to define the natural history of clinically unruptured intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVM's). Charts of patients seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1974 and 1985 were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained on 166 patients until death, surgery, or other intervention, or for at least 4 years after diagnosis (mean follow-up time 8.2 years). All available cerebral arteriograms and computerized tomography scans of the head were reviewed. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 31 patients (18%), due to AVM rupture in 29 and secondary to AVM or aneurysm rupture in two. The mean risk of hemorrhage was 2.2% per year, and the observed annual rates of hemorrhage increased over time. The risk of death from rupture was 29%, and 23% of survivors had significant long-term morbidity. The size of the AVM and the presence of treated or untreated hypertension were of no value in predicting rupture.


Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (20) ◽  
pp. 917-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Jen Chen ◽  
Dale Ding ◽  
Colin P. Derdeyn ◽  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Robert M. Friedlander ◽  
...  

Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are anomalous direct shunts between cerebral arteries and veins that convalesce into a vascular nidus. The treatment strategies for AVMs are challenging and variable. Intracranial hemorrhage and seizures comprise the most common presentations of AVMs. However, incidental AVMs are being diagnosed with increasing frequency due to widespread use of noninvasive neuroimaging. The balance between the estimated cumulative lifetime hemorrhage risk vs the risk of intervention is often the major determinant for treatment. Current management options include surgical resection, embolization, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and observation. Complete nidal obliteration is the goal of AVM intervention. The risks and benefits of interventions vary and can be used in a combinatorial fashion. Resection of the AVM nidus affords high rates of immediate obliteration, but it is invasive and carries a moderate risk of neurologic morbidity. AVM embolization is minimally invasive, but cure can only be achieved in a minority of lesions. SRS is also minimally invasive and has little immediate morbidity, but AVM obliteration occurs in a delayed fashion, so the patient remains at risk of hemorrhage during the latency period. Whether obliteration can be achieved in unruptured AVMs with a lower risk of stroke or death compared with the natural history of AVMs remains controversial. Over the past 5 years, multicenter prospective and retrospective studies describing AVM natural history and treatment outcomes have been published. This review provides a contemporary and comprehensive discussion of the natural history, pathobiology, and interventions for brain AVMs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document