Surgical resection of scalp arteriovenous malformation: Case illustration

Sadaharu Tabuchi

doi:10.4236/crcm.2013.23051

Abstract

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the scalp is a rare lesion whose natural history remains to be elucidated. The report describes a case of a patient with a history of minor head trauma who presented with spontaneous bleeding from the scalp due to a relatively small scalp AVM. Several imaging modalities were used to establish the diagnosis, map the vascular malformation, and plan management. The optimal treatment strategy for this type of lesion remains controversial. Based on the size of AVM and the number of feeding arteries, this patient was treated with complete surgical excision alone. The clinical course was good, without postoperative complication or recurrence. Three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA) was useful for diagnosis, management and follow-up of this small extracranial scalp AVM.

Highlights

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the scalp is a rare vascular lesion that is characterized by abnormal fistulous connections between supplying arteries and draining veins without an intervening capillary network in the subcutaneous plane of the scalp [1,2,3,4]
Selective digital subtraction angiography (DSA) revealed a scalp AVM fed by the superficial temporal artery (STA) and draining into the superficial scalp veins (Figure 1(c))
Surgical excision resulted in an excellent outcome when used for the management of a small scalp AVM in this case

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the scalp is a rare vascular lesion that is characterized by abnormal fistulous connections between supplying arteries and draining veins without an intervening capillary network in the subcutaneous plane of the scalp [1,2,3,4]. This report describes a case of a patient with a scalp AVM who presented with spontaneous bleeding from the lesion. The optimal treatment strategy for this type of lesion remains controversial. This patient underwent surgical excision of the AVM with favorable results

CASE REPORT

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION