Radiosurgery for Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations with Associated Arterial Aneurysms

The radiosurgical outcomes for cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) with AVM-associated arterial aneurysms (AAA) are poorly understood, because many AAAs are embolized before nidal intervention. The aim of this retrospective case-control study is to determine the effect of AAAs on AVM radiosurgery outcomes.

We evaluated an institutional AVM radiosurgery database from 1989 to 2013. AAAs were classified as intranidal (type I) or prenidal (type II). The case cohort comprised AVMs with patent type I or II AAAs. The control cohort comprised AVMs without AAAs and matched 2:1 to the case cohort.

The case cohort comprised 51 AVMs, including 23 with type I and 28 with type II AAAs. The control cohort comprised 102 AVMs without AAAs. The cumulative AVM obliteration, annual postradiosurgery hemorrhage, and radiologically evident radiation-induced changes rates were 67%, 3.3%, and 28%, respectively, for the case cohort, compared with 70%, 2.0%, and 35%, respectively, for the control cohort. The presence of an AAA was not significantly associated with obliteration (P = 0.293), postradiosurgery hemorrhage (P = 0.209), or radiation-induced changes (P = 0.323). The rates of type II AAA occlusion at 3, 5, and 10 years were 46%, 77%, and 95%, respectively. The type II AAA occlusion rate was significantly higher in obliterated AVMs (P = 0.002).

Patent intranidal or prenidal AAAs do not significantly affect AVM radiosurgical outcomes. Occlusion of distal prenidal AAAs commonly occurs after radiosurgery. These findings may support a more conservative stance for embolization before radiosurgery for AVMs with AAAs.