Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)

• Abnormal tangles of arteries and veins in which blood flows directly from arteries into veins without passing through normal brain tissue
• Most are present from birth and may remain silent for years; they are often discovered after a seizure, headache, or hemorrhage
• The main risk of an AVM is bleeding into the brain, which can cause stroke-like symptoms or life-threatening injury
• Treatment options include microsurgical resection, endovascular embolization, and stereotactic radiosurgery, used alone or in combination depending on the size, location, and architecture of the AVM
• Surgical removal offers immediate cure for accessible AVMs; embolization can reduce blood flow before surgery or radiosurgery
• Stereotactic radiosurgery is well suited to small and deep AVMs, gradually closing the abnormal vessels over one to three years without an incision