Association between draining vein diameters and intracranial arteriovenous malformation hemorrhage: a multicentric...

Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) cause hemorrhage, and the role of draining vein diameters in rupture risk is controversial. The aims of the present study were to investigate the variables related with intracranial AVM rupture and to examine the association of draining vein diameters and AVM hemorrhage.

Two hundred three patients were included in this study, of which 117 (57%) had unruptured AVMs, and 86 (43%) had ruptured AVMs.

In an adjusted (multivariate) analysis, the variables significantly associated with AVM hemorrhagic presentation were age (OR per year increase 0.97, 95%CI 0.95-0.99, p = 0.007), a deep nidus compared with superficial nidus (OR 3.21, 95%CI 1.13-9.06, p = 0.028), the nidus diameter (OR per each mm increase 0.95, 95%CI 0.92-0.97, p < 0.001), a single draining vein compared with multiple draining veins (OR 2.14, 95%CI 1.02-4.50, p = 0.044), the draining vein diameter (OR per mm increase 1.52, 95%CI 1.26-1.83, p < 0.001), and a draining vein diameter ≥ 5 mm compared with < 5 mm (OR 5.80, 95%CI 2.70-12.47, p < 0.001).

In this study, after adjusted analysis, the variables associated with intracranial AVM hemorrhagic presentation were a young age, a small nidus diameter, a deeply located nidus, a single draining vein, and large draining vein diameters. A draining vein diameter cutoff ≥ 5 mm was positively associated with the risk of AVM rupture. A large and prospective study is now necessary to confirm if draining vein diameter is a risk factor for AVM hemorrhage.