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What Is Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformation?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

An intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a snarl of arteries and veins in the brain that create abnormal connections between one another and interrupt the flow of blood. One of the biggest risks of this vascular disorder is the chance of rupture, which could cause intracranial hemorrhage. Bleeding inside the brain can be extremely dangerous because it can create a buildup of pressure that may damage brain cells, while the interruption to the blood supply can cause other cells to die because they do not receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients. At the time of diagnosis, a doctor can discuss how to proceed in the management of an intracranial arteriovenous malformation.

The reasons behind the formation of intracranial arteriovenous malformations are not well understood. The groundwork is thought to be laid during fetal development, when the pathways for brain development are created, and as a child grows older, the growth gets larger. Some people never experience symptoms, while others start to develop headaches and other neurological problems. In some cases, the first warning sign is a stroke when the malformation ruptures.

Nurse
Nurse

A doctor may suspect an intracranial arteriovenous malformation as a possibility if a patient has neurological symptoms consistent with some kind of problem in the brain. A medical imaging study can reveal the growth and provide information about its precise location and nature. This can be important for planning treatment, as there could be several treatment options available. The doctor can discuss the formation with the patient and discuss the choices.

One way to treat an intracranial arteriovenous malformation is surgery. A surgeon can access the involved area of the brain and address the abnormal growth. Vascular embolization may also be an option. In this procedure, the surgeon carefully advances catheters through the blood vessels to the area of the malformation and blocks off blood vessels to limit the supply of blood. This kills off the growth and allows the brain to reroute other vessels around it.

If an intracranial arteriovenous malformation ruptures, the patient needs emergency treatment. This can include surgery to open up the skull and relieve pressure. In some cases, the surgeon may also be able to access and tie off blood vessels to stop the bleed. Once the patient is out of surgery, some hospitalization may be necessary to allow care providers to monitor cognitive function during healing. Some patients need temporary shunts or ports to relieve pressure and allow fluid to drain from the brain while they heal.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

pastanaga

It seems like there are so many things that can go wrong with the brain, and most of them won't even be noticed until symptoms show up (which, let's face it, may also not be noticed).

It makes me think that they should just routinely scan peoples' heads whenever they have a checkup, so that you can catch things like arteriovenous malformation of the brain before they become an issue.

But, I guess the scans use radiation, and are expensive, so they are only ever used as a diagnostic tool.

irontoenail

@bythewell - They were really good at showing the arteriovenous malformation symptoms properly in the show from what I can remember.

He only had a bit of blurred vision at first, and then eventually I think he ended up having a couple of seizures and something similar to a stroke, before finally having what was more like a massive stroke.

But, although those scenes were quite chilling, what really got to me was the scene where they showed him going for his daily run, after he found out about it, just doing what he would usually do, and realizing that he really could die at any moment.

It's a good lesson for all of us, I think. Life is precious and you never know what could happen at any moment of any day.

bythewell

There was a character in Six Feet Under (a show about a family who ran a funeral parlor) who had AVM. It was a major plot point, actually, that went throughout the whole series.

Which was appropriate, as having an AVM means you may possibly die at any time, or live a normal lifespan without ever noticing something was wrong. And this was a show that examined the role of death in modern life.

I believe the only reason the character found out he had a problem was because he was in a car accident and they routinely scanned his head. Of course, instead of opting for surgery, he allowed the AV malformation to continue to grow until something went seriously wrong, and he finally had to have it operated on.

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