TRANSARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION OF CEREBRAL ARTERIOVENOUS-MALFORMATIONS - IMPROVEMENT OF RESULTS WITH EXPERIENCE

PURPOSE: To present the treatment outcome after embolization of arteri ovenous malformations. METHODS: All patients with cerebral arterioveno us malformations treated in 1987 and 1988 (27 patients, group I) and i n 1992 and 1993 (35 patients, group II) were compared regarding treatm ent results and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Complications of the treatm ent occurred in 52% of group I and 22% of group II patients. Severe co mplications occurred in 11% and 0%, respectively. There were no treatm ent deaths. Thirty percent of the arteriovenous malformations in the f irst group were totally occluded or made accessible for gamma knife tr eatment, compared with 69% of the arteriovenous malformations in the s econd group. The clinical outcome improved from 56% with an excellent or good outcome in group I, to 89% in group II. The follow-up time is much shorter in group Il, 1.5 versus 5.5 years in group I. CONCLUSION: A definite improvement in treatment outcome has been achieved. The cl inical outcome seems to have improved as well, although the shorter fo llow-up time makes this conclusion less certain.