Embolization of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

-A Combined Treatment with Surgery or Radiosurgery-

Abstract

Thirty-two patients were treated with embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM's). Of these patients, 16 underwent surgical removal of AVM and 16 radiosurgery following embolization. Embolization caused neurological deficit in six patients (morbidity 18%) and fatal brain swelling in one (mortality 3%). Complication occurred in 6 out of 17 patients with AVM's in the eloquent area (35%) and 1 out of 15 with those in the non-eloquent areas (6%). Although embolization was a valuable procedure in the treatment of brain AVM's combined with surgery or radiosurgery, indication for embolization of AVM should be carefully decided with consideration of therapeutic risk, especially for lesions in the eloquent areas.