Familial Cavernous Angioma: MRI Study of three Generation in two Italian Families and Literature Review

According to recent magnetic resonance imaging studies, cavernous angioma (CA) seems to involve the central nervous system in 0.5%-1% of the population 1 - in a similar percentage to a large autopsy series 2. The incidence of familial CA is unknown 3: the first paper in the literature concerning familial CA was published in 1936 5: recently however, thank to the widespread use of MR, at least 13 families have been described. We report MR findings in two Italian families with familial CA. In conclusion, familial CA should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with intracranial haemorrhage, seizures or cerebrovascular disease.