Dysplastic vessels after surgery for brain arteriovenous malformations

The cause and clinical significance of residual dysplastic vessels after surgery for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are unclear. We studied predictors and frequency of residual dysplastic vessels on cerebral angiography after AVM surgery.

The 240 prospectively enrolled surgical patients from the New York AVM Databank underwent 269 AVM-related surgical procedures. Reported postoperative brain angiographic findings were classified post hoc as showing (1) persistent dysplastic vessels, (2) a residual AVM, (3) focal hyperemia in the surgical bed, (4) other changes, or (5) a normal angiogram. Univariate and multivariate models were applied to test for an association between residual dysplastic vessels and patient age, sex, preoperative AVM size, anatomic AVM location, number of embolization procedures before surgery, and the time interval between AVM surgery and the postoperative angiogram.

Of the 224 documented postoperative angiograms, 78 (35%) showed dysplastic vessels, 24 (11%) had evidence for a residual AVM, 16 (7%) showed focal hyperemia, 6 (2%) revealed other findings, and 100 (45%) were normal. The number of cases showing angiographic evidence for dysplastic vessels was significantly associated with increasing size of the AVM (in millimeter increments; P=0.0001); the mean diameter of AVMs in patients showing dysplastic vessels after surgery was significantly larger (41 mm, SD +/-14) than in those without residual dysplastic vessels (27 mm, SD +/-13; P<0.001). Symptomatic postoperative intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients (1%), in 2 of whom dysplastic vessels were seen on the postoperative angiogram.

The findings suggest that persistent dysplastic vessels may be found in approximately one third of angiograms after AVM surgery. Preoperative AVM size was found to be an independent predictor for the occurrence of dysplastic vessels on the postoperative angiogram.