DEEP CENTRAL ARTERIOVENOUS-MALFORMATIONS OF THE BRAIN - THE ROLE OF ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENT

Cerebral deep central arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are uncommon lesions associated with considerable difficulty in treatment. The auth ors report a series of 14 deep central AVMs treated by endovascular me thods and examine the present role of endovascular treatment. This tre atment used alone resulted in complete obliteration of AVMs in approxi mately 15% of cases and reduction in 50% to a size permitting treatmen t by means of radiosurgery. Reversal of previous neurological signs an d symptoms occurred in 35.7% of embolized patients. Overall, nearly 80 % of patients had either complete obliteration of the lesion, reductio n to a size allowing radiosurgical treatment, or reversal of previous neurological deficits. There were treatment complications in 14.3% of the cases. Endovascular treatment methods may make a significant contr ibution to the therapy of AVMs that have a particularly poor course an d are difficult to treat by other means.