Surgical strategy for cerebral arteriovenous malformation with acute hemorrhage

Abstract

Background Presently, there have been craniocerebral operation, interventional embolization, stereotactic radiotherapy and other methods in treating cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM). However, the standard of different therapeutic regimens of cerebral AVM at the acute stage of hemorrhage has not been completely identified. Objective To observe the clinical characteristics and therapeutic effects of AVM at the acute stage of hemorrhage in patients, and to analyze corresponding therapeutic strategies. Design Non-randomized clinical observation. Setting Department of Neurosurgery, Foshan First People's Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Participants Forty-six patients with cerebral AVM complicated by hemorrhage admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, Foshan First People's Hospital between January 1999 and December 2006, were involved in this study. All the patients were confirmed as cerebral AVM complicated by hemorrhage by brain angiography or/and postoperational pathology. The involved patients, 32 males and 14 females, averaged 25 years old, ranging from 6 to 62 years. Informed consents of therapeutic items were obtained from the relatives of all the patients. Methods ▪ On admission, skull CT and brain angiography were conducted in the involved subjects. ▪ The therapeutic method was confirmed according to the consciousness, hematoma region, hematoma volume, imageological results following comprehensive analysis. DSA examination was permitted to identify the size and position of abnormal vessel mass, and the distribution of feeding artery and draining vein. Craniocerebral operation was carried out as early as possible in patients with severe or progressive conscious disturbance, in which most of hematoma with obvious occupied effect or cerebral hernia was located in lobe of brain. The primary thing was to clean intracerebral hematoma for in time decompression. According to different situations, corresponding therapeutic measures were used for resecting abnormal vessel mass, and the treatments of patients were observed. ▪ The therapeutic effects were assessed following Glasgow outcome scale(GOS) at 3 months after hemorrhage. Main outcome measures ▪ The examination results of skull CT and brain angiography of patients on admission. ▪ Treatment of patients. ▪ GOS results at 3 months after hemorrhage. Results Forty-six patients were involved, and all of them participated in the final analysis. ▪ Examination results of skull CT and brain angiography: Bleeding part: frontal lobe in 7 cases, parietal lobe 15, temporal lobe 19, occipital lobe 3, cerebellar hemisphere 2, and hemorrhage rupturing into ventricle 10. Haematoma volume: small volume of hematoma (< 20 mL) in 4 cases, moderate volume of hematoma (20–50 mL) 14, large volume of hematoma (50–80 mL) 21, great volume of hematoma (> 80 mL) 7; Abnormal vessel mass: Among 17 patients undergoing aortocranial angiography, abnormal vessel mass was found in 16 patients, including cortex 13 patients, basal ganglia and thalamencephalon(deep part) 2 patients, and posterior cranial fossa 1 patient. The size of abnormal vessel mass: small (< 3 cm) 4 patients, moderate (3–6 cm) 9 patients, and large (> 6 cm) 3 patients. The type of feeding artery: perforating branch blood-supply 1 patient, cortical branch blood supply 13 patients, mixed branch blood supply 2 patients. The type of draining vein: cortical draining (superficial part) 10 patients, deep part draining 2 patients, and mixed draining 4 patients. ▪ Treatment condition: Among 17 patients undergoing brain angiography followed by craniocerebral operation, hematoma was removed and AVM was completely resected in 12 patients, hematoma was removed and AVM was partially resected in 3 patients, and only hematoma was resected in 2 patients; Among 24 patients undergoing emergent craniocerebral operation, hematoma was removed and AVM was completely resected in 5 patients, hematoma was removed and AVM was partially resected in 9 patients, and only hematoma was resected in 10 patients; Expectant treatment was carried out in the early stage in 5 patients. When disease condition was stable, AVM resection was separately or complicatedly conducted in 13 patients, embolization in 4 patients, and γ-radiotherapy in 5 patients. ▪ GOS: 5 patients died in postoperative complications, and among the other patients, 19 had moderate or had not functional impairment, 13 had moderate disability, 6 had severe disability, 2 were vegetative state, and 2 died. ▪ Post-operative re-examination of brain angiography: Among 16 patients undergoing AVM, vessel mass disappeared in 9 patients. Conclusion Good therapeutic effects can be obtained by choosing proper therapeutic regimen according to clinical and imageological characteristics of patients with arteriovenous malformation complicated by hemorrhage at the acute stage.