Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

Abstract

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital vascular anomalies composed of an abnormal tangle of abnormal blood vessels. In these vessels, blood is shunt directly from the arterial to the venous compartment without capillaries to control the pressure boost. This vicious circle combined with the abnormal composition of the vessels can lead both to the formation of intra- and extranidal aneurysms and to a deterioration of the vessel walls increasing the risk of rupture and intracranial/intracerebral hemorrhage. Single session stereotactic radiosurgery has been considered for a long time one of most effective treatment for selective cerebral AVMs. In the Vicenza Neurosurgery Department, radiosurgery was introduced in 1982 thanks to Dr. Federico Colombo and the treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) 2 years later. Until December 2002, 642 patients were treated with our LINAC based, converging arc technique. From January 30, 2003, to December 2018, 550 patients affected by cerebral AVMs and 1 by a spinal AVM were treated.