[Cerebral arteriovenous malformations - overview]

Abstract

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are uncommon but can cause intracerebral hemorrhage with grave disability or death. AVMs can even cause focal neurological symptoms, seizures and headache. The treatment of AVMs is complex. The most common treatment forms are microsurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy and endovascular embolization. The best treatment in each case can include a combination of the mentioned treatment forms. New studies indicate that no intervention is the best option in unruptured AVMs. In this article we discuss the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of cerebral AVMs.

Key words: cerebral arteriovenous malformations, intracerebral hemorrhage, seizures, headache, surgery, radiation, endovascular embolization. Correspondence: Olafur Sveinsson, olafur.sveinsson@karolinska.se.