Brain AVM characteristics and age

To explore angioarchitectural features of brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) in ages.

302 Consecutive patients with BAVMs between 1999 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate analysis was used to test initial presentation and BAVM characteristics in different ages.

Patients ranged in age from 5 to 65 years (mean±SD, 28.3±12.8). One hundred and eighty-eight were male and 113 female. Clinical presentations were hemorrhage (52.6%), seizure (24.5% of patients), headache (12.6%), focal neurological deficit (6.3%), or other clinical events, including incidental BAVM diagnoses (4.0%). Increasing age correlated positively with coexisting arterial aneurysms (P=0.044). No differences were found for sex, initial presentation, BAVM size, BAVM location, arterial feeders and venous drainage pattern between each age groups.

Increasing age correlated positively with coexisting arterial aneurysms. No statistical significance was observed for clinical presentations, and BAVM characteristics among age groups.