Arteriovenous Malformations In Children Research Articles

Surgical experience with arteriovenous malformations in children.

The authors report their surgical experience with 15 cases of arteriovenous malformations in children operated on in the last decade. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was the main clinical manifestation in 12 patients. Epilepsy was a secondary feature in 3 of these. Cortical areas were involved in 7 cases while the other 8 had the malformation in medial or deep structures of the brain. No mortality occurred from surgery. A radical excision was achieved in 12 cases, while in 3 cases remnants of the lesion were shown by postoperative angiography. Nine patients recovered from surgery without neurological impairment. Two children with left-sided arteriovenous malformations showed mild speech disturbances and 2 others with midline lesions suffered from hypotonus and ataxia.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children clinical features and outcome of treatment in children and in adults

A study of 19 children with cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is reported; these children represent 12% of 161 patients with this disease at the Rome University Institute of Neurosurgery. The published data on intracranial arteriovenous malformations in children and in adults are reviewed and the clinical features and results of treatment in the two age groups compared. The results of surgical removal seem to be better in children while the follow-up mortality with conservative treatment is higher. The last point receives indirect confirmation from a study of the risk of bleeding in which the patients of our series were compared by age at clinical onset, viz. those under 15 years of age and those over 15 years. After an average follow-up of slightly over 10 years, the risk of bleeding is higher with onset before the age 15 years and significantly higher if the onset is nonhemorrhagic.

CT of thrombosed arteriovenous malformations in children.

Thrombosed arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in children are rare lesions that may present with headaches or a seizure disorder. Thirteen patients (4 months to 21 years of age) with this lesion were examined with computed tomography (CT). In 11 patients surgical confirmation was obtained, and the other two patients were examined with follow-up CT scans. Angiography either showed an avascular mass (7/13) or was negative (6/13). CT showed a lobulated lesion (8/13), peripheral location (11/13), and minimal surrounding edema (8/13). All of the lesions were hyperdense prior to the administration of contrast material and all enhanced either slightly or not at all following contrast material administration. It is concluded that these characteristic CT features aid in making the diagnosis of thrombosed AVM. The major differential diagnosis is small intracerebral neoplasm.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children.

A series of 36 children under the age of 13 with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) was retrospectively reviewed. It is shown that haemorrhage is by far the commonest initial manifestation of the lesion, followed by seizures. Of the 14 children who have seizures, 10 suffered from haemorrhage within an observation period of 3 months to 7 years. Analysis of the results of the various forms of treatment indicates that total surgical extirpation provides the best safeguard against future haemorrhage. It is suggested that all cerebral AVM in children should be excised whenever possible.