The selection and result of AVM treatment

The treatment selection for cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) still is in controversy. In order to find out the best way to treat AVM, we summarized the treatment result of AVM patients in our hospital. Sixty-three AVM patients who had been treated at Nagoya University Hospital since 1988 to 1997 were studied. The patient characteristics were nearly the same as other reported series. The treatment modalities include surgery, embolization and radiosurgery. Rate of nidus disappearance was assessed in each treatment. Highest rate was observed in surgery or surgery with embolization. But new neurological deficits were seen in 37% of the patients of same group. Nidus occlusion rate was not high in radiosurgery with embolization, but low in complication rate. The result showed the importance of embolization procedure in the treatment selection of AVM. The value of functional MRI as pre-therapeutic study is high in those patients whose AVM adjacent to eloquent area.