Microsurgery of Cavernous Angiomas of the Brain with Special Reference to Cerebral Midline Localizations

Abstract

Cavernous angiomas or cavernomas of the brain, first described in 1854 by Luschka, comprise between 5% and 16% of all cerebrovascular malformations [6]. However, with the advent and increasing utilization of computerized tomography (CT) and, especially, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cavernomas of the central nervous system (CNS) are reported with increasing frequency [11, 12]. Moreover, the superior imaging qualities of MRI have also allowed detection of cavernous angiomas occurring along cerebral midline structures, which were previously missed by angiography or even CT and were therefore summarized under the heading “occult malformations” of the central nervous system [2, 5]. The ability of MRI to provide exact neuroanatomical data on the midline lesion, combined with the routine use of microsurgical techniques, has led to rare attempts at surgical removal of cerebral midline cavernomas [3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14]. In this paper we report our experiences with 20 cavernous angiomas of the brain, with special reference to five lisions located along the cerebral midline.KeywordsTrigeminal NeuralgiaCavernous HemangiomaCavernous AngiomaCerebral Cavernous MalformationCranial Nerve DysfunctionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.