The surgery of cranial arteriovenous malformations

Arteriovenous malformations are a common cause of subarachnoid haemorrhage in Singapore because of its relatively young population. This series comprises 86 patients with cranial AVM's all of whom were treated by excisional surgery. 79 of these patients had cerebral lesions and 76 of these presented with subarachnoid haemorrhage. The techniques employed in surgical excision of these lesions are described and the results of other therapeutic techniques evaluated. To date, surgical excision appears to be the safest and only proven method of treatment. This view is strengthened by an operative mortality of under 4% in this series.