Ventricular/paraventricular small arteriovenous malformations: role of embolisation with cyanoacrylate

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) located in or near to ventricles have proven difficult to treat. We report the safety and efficacy of embolisation of these deep central lesions and describe the contribution of embolisation to multimodality treatment. Fourteen consecutive patients with small (less than 3 cm) ventricular/paraventricular AVMs arranged for possible embolisation to their nidi. All patients presented with intracranial haemorrhage. The AVMs ranged in size from 10 to 30 mm (average, 17 mm). Embolisations were performed using liquid adhesive (cyanoacrylate and iodised oil mixture at a ratio of less than 1:4) delivered by flow-guided microcatheters with the patient under general anaesthesia. One patient (7.1%) was considered unsuitable for embolisation, and another (7.1%) was not able to undergo embolisation because of the morphological features of the AVM feeders, while the remaining 12 could be embolised successfully. Six of 12 patients who underwent embolisation achieved complete occlusion of their AVMs (overall occlusion rate, 42.9%), while the remaining 6 were embolised partially with a 60-95% (mean = 80%) size reduction. One (8%) permanent neurological deficit resulted from embolisation. Endovascular therapy seems to make a significant contribution to the multimodality treatment of small AVMs located in the ventricle or paraventricular deep area. Embolisation alone permits complete cure in a large number of patients. It results in obliteration of a significant volume of the nidus in most of the remaining patients, which makes those nidi more vulnerable to subsequent multimodal therapy.