Spontaneous development of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation documented by serial angiography

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1058-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Friedman ◽  
Bruce E. Pollock ◽  
Douglas A. Nichols

✓ This 61-year-old man with a right-sided tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) was initially treated with staged stereotactic radiosurgery and transarterial embolization. Results of follow-up cerebral angiography performed 4 years later demonstrated complete obliteration of the dAVF and development of a previously undetected cerebellar arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The newly diagnosed AVM was treated with repeated stereotactic radiosurgery. This represents the first reported case of the development of a cerebral AVM documented in an adult by serial angiography.

2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 886-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Friedman ◽  
Bruce E. Pollock ◽  
Douglas A. Nichols ◽  
Deborah A. Gorman ◽  
Robert L. Foote ◽  
...  

Object. Most dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses do not have angiographically demonstrated features associated with intracranial hemorrhage and, therefore, may be treated nonsurgically. The authors report their experience using a staged combination of radiosurgery and transarterial embolization for treating DAVFs involving the transverse and sigmoid sinuses. Methods. Between 1991 and 1998, 25 patients with DAVFs of the transverse and/or sigmoid sinuses were treated using stereotactic radiosurgery; 22 of these patients also underwent transarterial embolization. Two patients were lost to follow-up review. Clinical data, angiographic findings, and follow-up records for the remaining 23 patients were collected prospectively. The mean duration of clinical follow up after radiosurgery was 50 months (range 20–99 months). The 18 women and five men included in this series had a mean age of 57 years (range 33–79 years). Twenty-two (96%) of 23 patients presented with pulsatile tinnitus as the primary symptom; two patients had experienced an earlier intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Cognard classifications of the DAVFs included the following: I in 12 patients (52%), IIa in seven patients (30%), and III in four patients (17%). After treatment, symptoms resolved (20 patients) or improved significantly (two patients) in 96% of patients. One patient was clinically unchanged. No patient sustained an ICH or irradiation-related complication during the follow-up period. Seventeen patients underwent follow-up angiographic studies at a mean of 21 months after radiosurgery (range 11–38 months). Total or near-total obliteration (> 90%) was seen in 11 patients (65%), and more than a 50% reduction in six patients (35%). Two patients experienced recurrent tinnitus and underwent repeated radiosurgery and embolization at 21 and 38 months, respectively, after the first procedure. Conclusions. A staged combination of radiosurgery and transarterial embolization provides excellent symptom relief and a good angiographically verified cure rate for patients harboring low-risk DAVFs of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses. This combined approach is a safe and effective treatment strategy for patients without angiographically determined risk factors for hemorrhage and for elderly patients with significant comorbidities.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Tognetti ◽  
Alvaro Andreoli ◽  
Anna Cuscini ◽  
Claudio Testa

✓ The reduction of an intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) by conventional radiation therapy is described in a patient who refused surgery. The 2-year follow-up angiogram documented nearly complete obliteration of the nidus of the AVM, accompanied by progressive narrowing of the arteries supplying the lesion. The scanty literature dealing with this form of treatment is summarized.


1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Fukuhara ◽  
Guy M. McKhann ◽  
Paul Santiago ◽  
Joseph M. Eskridge ◽  
John D. Loeser ◽  
...  

✓ The authors describe a patient with right-sided central pain resulting from a left parietal arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The AVM was treated with staged embolization and stereotactic radiosurgery, and its obliteration was documented on follow-up angiographic studies. Surprisingly, the patient noted complete resolution of her pain syndrome after embolization, which is an extremely rare result. Central pain and its proposed mechanisms are discussed.


1996 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce E. Pollock ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
John C. Flickinger

✓ Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) that are located within the postgeniculate optic radiations or striate cortex are difficult to resect without creating postoperative visual defects. To reduce the risk of an AVM hemorrhage and to enhance the possibility of preserving visual function, the authors performed stereotactic radiosurgery in 34 patients with newly diagnosed or residual AVMs of the visual pathways. The mean AVM volume was 4.7 ml, and the average radiation dose to the AVM margin was 21 Gy. The median follow up was 47 months (range 16–83 months). Two (6%) of 34 patients had documented new visual field defects (central scotoma in one, and partial hemianopsia in one) after single-stage radiosurgery, but no patient developed a new permanent homonymous hemianopsia. Angiography was performed in all patients at a median of 26 months after radiosurgery: 22 (65%) had complete obliteration, 10 (29%) had a significant decrease in AVM volume, one (3%) had only a persistent early draining vein without residual nidus, and one (3%) had no change in the AVM. Thirteen (81%) of 16 patients with AVMs less of than 4 ml had complete obliteration. Five patients had second-stage stereotactic radiosurgery after angiography revealed a persistent AVM nidus; two patients eligible for follow-up angiography had complete obliteration, thereby increasing the overall series obliteration rate to 71%. The calculated annual risk of AVM bleeding (before radiographic evidence of obliteration) was 2.4%. No patient bled after angiographically confirmed obliteration. In most patients stereotactic radiosurgery obliterates visual pathway AVMs and also preserves preoperative visual function. Multimodality management (embolization, microsurgery, or staged radiosurgery) enhances AVM obliteration and visual preservation rates.


1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 811-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Mabe ◽  
Masahiro Furuse

✓ The authors report a case of the disappearance of an arteriovenous malformation in infancy, demonstrated by follow-up angiography performed 7 months after the original angiograms. Some possible mechanisms whereby a cerebral arteriovenous anomaly is thrombosed are discussed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Hung-Chi Pan ◽  
Wan-Yuo Guo ◽  
Wen-Yuh Chung ◽  
Cheng-Ying Shiau ◽  
Yue-Cune Chang ◽  
...  

Object. A consecutive series of 240 patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) treated by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) between March 1993 and March 1999 was evaluated to assess the efficacy and safety of radiosurgery for cerebral AVMs larger than 10 cm3 in volume. Methods. Seventy-six patients (32%) had AVM nidus volumes of more than 10 cm3. During radiosurgery, targeting and delineation of AVM nidi were based on integrated stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and x-ray angiography. The radiation treatment was performed using multiple small isocenters to improve conformity of the treatment volume. The mean dose inside the nidus was kept between 20 Gy and 24 Gy. The margin dose ranged between 15 to 18 Gy placed at the 55 to 60% isodose centers. Follow up ranged from 12 to 73 months. There was complete obliteration in 24 patients with an AVM volume of more than 10 cm3 and in 91 patients with an AVM volume of less than 10 cm3. The latency for complete obliteration in larger-volume AVMs was significantly longer. In Kaplan—Meier analysis, the complete obliteration rate in 40 months was 77% in AVMs with volumes between 10 to 15 cm3, as compared with 25% for AVMs with a volume of more than 15 cm3. In the latter, the obliteration rate had increased to 58% at 50 months. The follow-up MR images revealed that large-volume AVMs had higher incidences of postradiosurgical edema, petechiae, and hemorrhage. The bleeding rate before cure was 9.2% (seven of 76) for AVMs with a volume exceeding 10 cm3, and 1.8% (three of 164) for AVMs with a volume less than 10 cm3. Although focal edema was more frequently found in large AVMs, most of the cases were reversible. Permanent neurological complications were found in 3.9% (three of 76) of the patients with an AVM volume of more than 10 cm3, 3.8% (three of 80) of those with AVM volume of 3 to 10 cm3, and 2.4% (two of 84) of those with an AVM volume less than 3 cm3. These differences in complications rate were not significant. Conclusions. Recent improvement of radiosurgery in conjunction with stereotactic MR targeting and multiplanar dose planning has permitted the treatment of larger AVMs. It is suggested that gamma knife radiosurgery is effective for treating AVMs as large as 30 cm3 in volume with an acceptable risk.


1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 1013-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M. Mendenhall ◽  
William A. Friedman ◽  
John M. Buatti ◽  
Francis J. Bova

✓ In this paper the authors evaluate the results of linear accelerator (LINAC)—based stereotactic radiosurgery for acoustic schwannomas. Fifty-six patients underwent LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery for acoustic schwannomas at the University of Florida between July 1988 and November 1994. Each patient was followed for a minimum of 1 year or until death; no patient was lost to follow up. One or more follow-up magnetic resonance images or computerized tomography scans were obtained in 52 of the 56 patients. Doses ranged between 10 and 22.5 Gy with 69.6% of patients receiving 12.5 to 15 Gy. Thirty-eight patients (68%) were treated with one isocenter and the dose was specified to the 80% isodose line in 71% of patients. Fifty-five patients (98%) achieved local control after treatment. The 5-year actuarial local control rate was 95%. At the time of analysis, 48 patients were alive and free of disease, seven had died of intercurrent disease, and one was alive with disease. Complications developed in 13 patients (23%). The likelihood of complications was related to the dose and treatment volume: 10 to 12.5 Gy to all volumes, three (13%) of 23 patients; 15 to 17.5 Gy to 5.5 cm3 or less, two (9%) of 23 patients; 15 to 17.5 Gy to more than 5.5 cm3, five (71%) of seven patients; and 20 to 22.5 Gy to all volumes, three (100%) of three patients. Linear accelerator—based stereotactic radiosurgery results in a high rate of local control at 5 years. The risk of complications is related to the dose and treatment volume.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus A. Leber ◽  
Jutta Berglöff ◽  
Gerhard Pendl

As the number of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery increases, it becomes particularly important to define with precision adverse effects on distinct structures of the nervous system. Object. This study was designed to assess the dose—response tolerance of the visual pathways and cranial nerves after exposure of the cavernous sinus to radiation. Methods. A total of 66 sites in the visual system and 210 cranial nerves of the middle cranial fossa were investigated in 50 patients who had undergone gamma knife treatment for benign skull base tumors. The mean follow-up period was 40 months (range 24–60 months). Follow-up examinations consisted of neurological, neuroradiological, and neuroophthalmological evaluations. The actuarial incidence of optic neuropathy was zero for patients who received a radiation dose of less than 10 Gy, 26.7% for patients receiving a dose in the range of 10 to less than 15 Gy, and 77.8% for those who received doses of 15 Gy or more (p < 0.0001). Previously impaired vision improved in 25.8% and was unchanged in 51.5% of patients. No sign of neuropathy was seen in patients whose cranial nerves of the cavernous sinus received radiation doses of between 5 and 30 Gy. Because tumor control appeared to have been achieved in 98% of the patients, the deterioration in visual function cannot be attributed to tumor progression. Conclusions. The structures of the visual pathways (the optic nerve, chiasm, and tract) exhibit a much higher sensitivity to single-fraction radiation than other cranial nerves, and their particular dose—response characteristics can be defined. In contrast, the oculomotor and trigeminal nerves have a much higher dose tolerance.


1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Raymond ◽  
Daniel Roy ◽  
Michel Bojanowski ◽  
Robert Moumdjian ◽  
Georges L'Espérance

✓ The surgical treatment of basilar bifurcation aneurysms is difficult and the need for an alternative approach is frequently stated. To assess the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment of aneurysms located at the basilar bifurcation, the authors prospectively studied angiographic results, clinical results, and complications in 31 patients treated with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs). Patients treated acutely after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were graded according to the Hunt and Hess classification and clinical outcome was determined at 1- and 6-month intervals according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). There were 18 women and 13 men, ranging in age from 34 to 67 years (mean age 48 years). Twenty-three were treated acutely after SAH. Clinical Hunt and Hess grades at presentation were as follows: Grade I, six patients; Grade II, three; Grade III, 11; Grade IV, two; and Grade V, one. The GOS score for the group of patients treated acutely was: GOS I, 18 patients; GOS II, III, and IV, one patient each; and GOS V, two patients. There were seven technical complications in this group, most often asymptomatic, but one patient died after aneurysm rupture during treatment and one had residual diplopia at 4 months. Eight patients were treated for incidental basilar bifurcation aneurysms. One technical complication with no neurological deficit occurred in this group of patients with incidental aneurysms. Immediate angiographic results were considered to be satisfactory in 94% of patients, with complete obliteration in 42% and residual neck and dog ears in 52%. There was no bleeding episode after treatment during clinical follow-up periods ranging from 3 to 42 months (mean 15.5 months in 29 surviving patients). Angiographic results were available for 27 patients at 6 months and were as follows: 30% of the lesions were completely obliterated, 59% presented some residual neck, and 11% showed some opacification of the aneurysm sac. During the follow-up period of up to 42 months, a total of seven recurrences were noted, necessitating retreatment with GDCs in five patients. Endovascular treatment of basilar bifurcation aneurysms prevented rebleeding and could be performed without clinically significant complications in 94% of patients. Clinical results after SAH compared favorably with surgical series. Morphological results appear less satisfactory, and long-term angiographic follow-up review is mandatory to detect recurrences.


1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John C. Flickinger ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
Charles A. Jungreis ◽  
...  

✓ Stereotactic radiosurgery successfully obliterates carefully selected arteriovenous malformations (AVM's) of the brain. In an initial 3-year experience using the 201-source cobalt-60 gamma knife at the University of Pittsburgh, 227 patients with AVM's were treated. Symptoms at presentation included prior hemorrhage in 143 patients (63%), headache in 104 (46%), and seizures in 70 (31%). Neurological deficits were present in 102 patients (45%). Prior surgical resection (resulting in subtotal removal) had been performed in 36 patients (16%). In 47 selected patients (21%), embolization procedures were performed in an attempt to reduce the AVM size prior to radiosurgery. The lesions were classified according to the Spetzler grading system: 64 (28%) were Grade VI (inoperable), 22 (10%) were Grade IV, 90 (40%) were Grade III, 43 (19%) were Grade II, and eight (4%) were Grade I. With the aid of computer imaging-integrated isodose plans for single-treatment irradiation, total coverage of the AVM nidus was possible in 216 patients (95%). The location and volume of the AVM were the most important factors for the selection of radiation dose. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed at 6-month intervals in 161 patients. Seventeen patients who had MR evidence of complete obliteration underwent angiography within 3 months of imaging: in 14 (82%) complete obliteration was confirmed. Complete angiographic obliteration was confirmed in 37 (80%) of 46 patients at 2 years, the earliest confirmation being 4 months (mean 17 months) after radiosurgery. The 2-year obliteration rates according to volume were: all eight (100%) AVM's less than 1 cu cm; 22 (85%) of 26 AVM's of 1 to 4 cu cm; and seven (58%) of 12 AVM's greater than 4 cu cm. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed postirradiation changes in 38 (24%) of 161 patients at a mean interval of 10.2 months after radiosurgery; only 10 (26%) of those 38 patients were symptomatic. In the entire series, two patients developed permanent new neurological deficits believed to be treatment-related. Two patients died of repeat hemorrhage at 6 and 23 months after treatment during the latency interval prior to obliteration. Stereotactic radiosurgery is an important method to obliterate AVM's, especially those previously considered inoperable. Success and complication risks are related to the AVM location and the volume treated.


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