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Updated: May 30, 2026
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Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Occipital arteriovenous malformations and migraine
Francesca Galletti1, Paola Sarchielli, Mohamed Hamam
1Clinica Neurologica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia, S Andrea delle Fratte, Perugia, Italy.
Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache
|August 6, 2011
Summary
Headaches are a common first sign of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Occipital lobe AVMs are particularly linked to migraine-like headaches, possibly due to spreading depression.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Radiology
Background:
- Headache is a frequent initial symptom in patients diagnosed with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
- AVM-related headaches often exhibit characteristics mirroring migraine with or without aura.
- Angiographic features, specifically AVM location, may influence the migraine-like presentation of headaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
- To analyze the association between headache presentation and the angioarchitectural features of AVMs.
Main Methods:
- An observational study was conducted on 40 consecutive patients with AVMs undergoing endovascular embolization.
- Headaches were classified using the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICHD-II) criteria.
- The relationship between headache characteristics and AVM angioarchitecture was statistically analyzed.
Main Results:
- Migraine-like headaches presented as the initial clinical manifestation in 22.5% of the studied patients.
- A significant association was found between the location of the AVM and a migraine-like headache presentation (p=0.03).
- The occipital lobe was identified as the predominant site for AVMs associated with migraine-like headaches.
Conclusions:
- The occipital location of cerebral arteriovenous malformations may be associated with spreading depression, a proposed mechanism in migraine pathogenesis.
- Headaches stemming from occipital lobe AVMs, despite being secondary, can clinically resemble primary migraine headaches.
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