Update on the natural history of cavernous malformations and factors predicting aggressive clinical presentation

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. E7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad W. Washington ◽  
Kathleen E. McCoy ◽  
Gregory J. Zipfel

Cavernous malformations (CMs) are angiographically occult, low-pressure neurovascular lesions with distinct imaging and clinical characteristics. They present with seizure, neurological compromise due to lesion hemorrhage or expansion, or as incidental findings on neuroimaging studies. Treatment options include conservative therapy, medical management of seizures, surgical intervention for lesion resection, and in select cases stereotactic radiosurgery. Optimal management requires a thorough understanding of the natural history of CMs including consideration of issues such as mode of presentation, lesion location, and genetics that may impact the associated neurological risk. Over the past 2 decades, multiple studies have been published, shedding valuable light on the clinical characteristics and natural history of these malformations. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with a concise consolidation of this published material such that they may better understand the risks associated with CMs and their implications on patient treatment.

Author(s):  
Colin Forfar

The past 20 years have seen significant changes in both the demographics and natural history of many cardiovascular diseases. Important reductions in case-fatality rates (such as in acute coronary syndromes) have resulted from improved diagnostics and treatment options and better understanding of natural history. For others (such as infective endocarditis), improvements have been limited and disappointing. While advances in therapy and the scientific evidence underpinning treatments have been crucial, the importance of accurate diagnosis has remained a key element for progress. Many of the principles needed for diagnosis are constant: the pre-eminence of a focused, accurate history, complete physical examination, and timely and relevant investigation endures. It is essential to have a secure knowledge of the strengths and limitations of interpretation of a frequently bewildering array of tests. Progress in this field has been rapid; advances in ultrasound, scintigraphy, and cardiac magnetic resonance stand out at the interface between structure and function central to good patient care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Preeti Jadhav ◽  
Hassan Tariq ◽  
Masooma Niazi ◽  
Giovanni Franchin

We report a case of a 35-year-old female who presented to the emergency room (ER) complaining of a pruritic rash involving multiple areas of the body. She had a significant history of cocaine use in the past. She had first developed a similar rash in 2013 when she was diagnosed with cocaine-induced vasculitis. Her urine toxicology had been positive for cocaine in the past until July 2013. She was incarcerated and attended a drug rehabilitation program after which she quit cocaine use, which was consistent with negative urine toxicology on subsequent admissions. Further workup did not reveal any other, autoimmune or infectious, etiology of this clinical presentation. The patient underwent biopsy of the skin lesion that was consistent with thrombotic vasculopathy likely secondary to levamisole.


1987 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas H. Lee ◽  
Gregory W. Rouan ◽  
Monica C. Weisberg ◽  
Donald A. Brand ◽  
Denise Acampora ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol ◽  
Jeffrey T. Jacob ◽  
Diane A. Edwards ◽  
William E. Krauss

Object The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of intracranial cavernous malformations (CMs) in a large series of predominantly Caucasian patients with spinal cord CMs. The authors also studied the natural history of spinal CMs in patients who were treated nonoperatively. Methods The medical records of 67 consecutive patients (32 female and 35 male patients) in whom a spinal CM was diagnosed between 1994 and 2002 were reviewed. The patients’ mean age at presentation was 50 years (range 13–82 years). Twenty-five patients underwent resection of the lesion. Forty-two patients in whom the spinal CM was diagnosed using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were followed expectantly. Thirty-three (49%) of 67 patients underwent both spinal and intracranial MR imaging. All available imaging studies were reviewed to determine the coexistence of an intracranial CM. Fourteen (42%) of the 33 patients with spinal CMs who underwent intracranial MR imaging harbored at least one cerebral CM in addition to the spinal lesion. Six (43%) of these 14 patients did not have a known family history of CM. Data obtained during the long-term follow-up period (mean 9.7 years, total of 319 patient-years) were available for 33 of the 42 patients with a spinal CM who did not undergo surgery. Five symptomatic lesional hemorrhages (neurological events), four of which were documented on neuroimaging studies, occurred during the follow-up period, for an overall event rate of 1.6% per patient per year. No patient experienced clinically significant neurological deficits due to recurrent hemorrhage. Conclusions As many as 40% of patients with a spinal CM may harbor a similar intracranial lesion, and approximately 40% of patients with coexisting spinal and intracranial CMs may have the nonfamilial (sporadic) form of the disease. Patients with symptomatic spinal CMs who are treated nonoperatively may have a small risk of clinically significant recurrent hemorrhage. The findings will aid in evaluation of surveillance images and in counseling of patients with spinal CMs, irrespective of family history.


2011 ◽  
pp. 4114-4126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Zabramski ◽  
Iman Feiz-Erfan

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Abrassart ◽  
Franck Kolo ◽  
Sébastian Piotton ◽  
Joe Chih-Hao Chiu ◽  
Patrick Stirling ◽  
...  

Frozen shoulder, a common and debilitating shoulder complaint, has been the subject of uncertainty within the scientific literature and clinical practice. We performed an electronic PubMed search on all (1559) articles mentioning ‘frozen shoulder’ or ‘adhesive capsulitis’ to understand and qualify the range of naming, classification and natural history of the disease. We identified and reviewed six key thought leadership papers published in the past 10 years and all (24) systematic reviews published on frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis in the past five years. This revealed that, while key thought leaders such as the ISAKOS Upper Extremity Council are unequivocal that ‘adhesive capsulitis’ is an inappropriate term, the long-term and short-term trends showed the literature (63% of systematic reviews assessed) preferred ‘adhesive capsulitis’. The literature was divided as to whether or not to classify the complaint as primary only (9 of 24) or primary and secondary (9 of 24); six did not touch on classification. Furthermore, despite a systematic review in 2016 showing no evidence to support a three-phase self-limiting progression of frozen shoulder, 11 of 12 (92%) systematic reviews that mentioned phasing described a three-phase progression. Eight (33%) described it as ‘self-limiting’, three (13%) described it as self-limiting in ‘nearly all’ or ‘most’ cases, and six (25%) stated that it was not self-limiting; seven (29%) did not touch on disease resolution. We call for a data and patient-oriented approach to the classification and description of the natural history of the disease, and recommend authors and clinicians (1) use the term ‘frozen shoulder’ over ‘adhesive capsulitis’, (2) use an updated definition of the disease which recognizes the often severe pain suffered, and (3) avoid the confusing and potentially harmful repetition of the natural history of the disease as a three-phase, self-limiting condition. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:273-279.DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.190032


2006 ◽  
pp. 391-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire F. Verschraegen ◽  
Charles R. Key ◽  
Raffit Hassan

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