Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Treatment and outcome of children with cerebral cavernomas: a survey on 32 patients
Alessandro Consales1, Gianluca Piatelli, Marcello Ravegnani
1Department of Neurosurgery, Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
Insights
Pediatric cerebral cavernomas (CCs) often present with macrohemorrhage. Surgery is effective for accessible CCs, particularly those causing epilepsy, with good outcomes in most patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Pediatric Neurology
- Vascular Malformations
Background:
- Cerebral cavernomas (CCs) are vascular malformations posing risks in pediatric populations.
- Understanding surgical indications is crucial for managing pediatric CCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define surgical indications for pediatric cerebral cavernomas (CCs).
- To evaluate surgical outcomes in children with CCs.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up of 32 pediatric patients with CCs.
- Categorization of patients based on presenting symptoms: macrohemorrhage, headache, or epilepsy.
- Surgical intervention in 28 patients with outcome assessment.
Main Results:
- Macrohemorrhage was the most common presentation (65.6%).
- Surgery was performed in 87.5% of patients.
- At median 4-year follow-up, 78.6% of operated patients were in good condition; all epilepsy patients were seizure-free.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric CCs carry a high risk of macrohemorrhage.
- Surgery is recommended for accessible CCs, excluding small, asymptomatic, deep-seated, or non-bleeding punctate lesions.
- Surgical intervention offers favorable outcomes, especially for epilepsy management.
Abstract:
We prospectively followed-up 32 pediatric patients with cerebral cavernomas (CCs) to better define surgical indications in this population. Three groups of patients were identified: (a) children with macrohemorrhage (21 patients, 65.6%), (b) children with localized or diffuse headache (6 patients, 18.8%) and (c) children with epilepsy (5 patients, 15.6%). Surgery was performed in 28 out of the 32 (87.5%) subjects. New transient post-operative neurological deficits were observed in two children. One child developed a post-operative hematoma. At a median follow-up of 4 years (range 1-11 years), 22 out of the 28 (78.6%) operated patients were in good conditions. All operated subjects with epilepsy were seizure-free. We confirm the high risk of macrohemorrhage in pediatric CCs. Surgery is mostly recommended in accessible cavernomas, except for small, asymptomatic deep-seated CCs or for punctuate lesions without bleeding signs.
More Related Videos
06:04Frontal Disconnection for Treating Mild Malformation of Cortical Development with Oligodendroglial Hyperplasia in Epilepsy (MOGHE) in the Frontal Lobe
Published on: August 16, 2024
05:12Induction and Micro-CT Imaging of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations in Mouse Model
Published on: September 4, 2017