Cerebral arteriovenous malformations are a set of arteries and veins that have an abnormal development pattern, occurring in any part of the brain and adjacent structures.
Arteriovenous malformation is a rare disease and its causes are unclear. Most of the people who suffer from it are born with it, although it can appear in the course of their life and sometimes difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms
A malformation of this type is usually detected after performing brain imaging studies requested for other health problems or when blood vessels rupture, causing bleeding.
But, even if there is no bleeding, it will always be important to pay attention to signs and symptoms characteristic of a possible cerebral arteriovenous malformation, such as:
- Seizures
- Severe headache
- Weakness, numbness, or paralysis
- Loss of vision
- Difficulty speaking
- Confusion or inability to understand others
- Walking instability
The presence of any of these signs or symptoms requires urgent medical attention, because a cerebral arteriovenous malformation with bleeding can place a person’s life at risk.
Treatment
Treatment for arteriovenous malformation varies, depending on where the abnormality is and the symptoms and general health of the patient.
To a large extent, it depends on whether the malformation has bled, is reasonably small to treat, or is in a part of the brain that the surgeon can reach.
Medications can help control symptoms such as seizures and headaches, but the main treatment is surgery.
In fact, such a malformation can be completely removed, and with little risk of causing damage to brain tissues, by minimally invasive surgeries.
Among the techniques that surgeons use to perform surgery is endovascular embolization, which consists of introducing a catheter through the arteries, and injecting a substance to create a blood clot that blocks the bloodstream.
We also have the alternative of using stereotactic radiosurgery, to treat small arteriovenous malformations that have not ruptured. It consists of using radiation beams to damage the blood vessels and stop the blood supply to the malformation.
In the presence of signs or symptoms of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation, feel free to contact me.
Take into account that, in any case, the decision to resort to vascular surgery must be made jointly by the patient and the doctor, in order to weigh the benefits and risks of an operation.
