Arteriovenous malformation of the spinal cord in a 17-month-old child

A case of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the cervical spinal cord occurring in a 17-month-old girl is reported. The initial symptom was quadriplegia of abrupt onset. Bilateral vertebral angiography disclosed 6 feeding arteries and a large draining vein. Complete obstruction of the blood supply to the AVM was confirmed angiographically, following cauterization and section of feeders via an anterior approach. Two years after the operation, the patient can sit and move all extremities with residual slight right hemiparesis. This report is the first operative case of cervical cord AVM in a child under 2 years of age.