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Erschienen in:
20.10.2016 | Clinical Article - Vascular
Multiple cerebral arterio-venous malformations: impact of multiplicity and hemodynamics on treatment strategies
Erschienen in: Acta Neurochirurgica | Ausgabe 12/2016
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Background
Multiple AVMs are exceptionally rare lesions and only a few larger series have been published, including other vascular pathologies, such as arterio-venous fistulae (AVF) or patients with hereditary syndromes. Our study presents clinical, angiographic, and therapeutic characteristics of patients harboring sporadic multiple AVMs.
Methods
Basic demographic data, vascular architecture, clinical presentation, treatment strategies, and treatment outcome were analyzed retrospectively from patients with cerebral AVMs treated in our department between 1990 and 2015.
Results
Six out of 539 patients (1.1 %) harbored 15 multiple and distinct cerebral lesions. Nidus size was predominantly small, consequently determining a Spetzler–Martin grade °I–°II (three-tier grading system). In three patients, AVMs shared a proximal feeding artery supply, whereas each AVM displayed its own venous drainage. Five of six patients (83 %) presented with hemorrhage. Four patients received therapy of the AVMs with complete elimination in 3/4 patients (75 %) and 8/9 treated AVMs (89 %). All patients with treatment of the AVM showed good-to-excellent recovery (n = 4, mRS ≤ 2).
Conclusions
Multiple cerebral AVMs are complex vascular lesions. The multiplicity of hemodynamic and malformation-related variables influence treatment strategy and sequence. Thus, awareness of these parameters (of various malformations before and during treatment) is important. The high number of hemorrhagic events in the present series might justify a more aggressive treatment of multiple AVMs than previously thought.