You may learn you have a brain AVM after imaging for another concern or after experiencing headaches, seizures, or neurological changes. Because AVMs can affect people differently, understanding your individual risk is an important first step.
If an AVM is suspected, specialized evaluation can help you understand whether treatment or monitoring is appropriate. At WMCHealth, our cerebrovascular specialists offer in-person and video consultations to help you determine your next steps.
What Is Brain Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)?
A brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a tangled group of abnormal blood vessels in your brain. An AVM creates abnormal connections between arteries and veins, changing how blood normally flows through these vessels.
Over time, an AVM can place stress on the affected blood vessels and may cause bleeding in your brain. Your individual risk depends on features such as the AVM’s size, location, shape, and blood flow.
Symptoms of a Brain AVM
You may have no symptoms from a brain AVM. In some cases, the AVM is found during imaging for another reason.
If symptoms do occur, you may experience:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Weakness
- Trouble speaking
- Other neurological changes
If an AVM ruptures, it can cause bleeding in your brain and requires immediate medical care. Call 911 if you experience sudden or severe neurological symptoms.
Diagnosing a Brain AVM
Your specialist will first review any prior imaging where an AVM was identified or suspected. This may include a CT scan or MRI. For many patients, additional imaging is needed to better understand the AVM.
Your care team may recommend cerebral catheter angiography to get a more detailed view of the blood vessels in your brain. During this minimally invasive test, a specialist guides a small catheter into an artery in your wrist or groin. Contrast and X-ray imaging show how blood moves through the AVM.
These images help your care team evaluate the AVM’s size, location, shape, and blood flow. Together, you and your specialist can then discuss whether treatment or continued monitoring may be appropriate.
Brain AVM Treatment
Your treatment plan will depend on the size, location, and blood flow of your AVM. Your age and overall health also help guide the recommendation.
WMCHealth offers several approaches for treating brain AVMs at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Depending on your needs, your treatment may include:
- Radiosurgery: Focused radiation targets the AVM without open surgery. This is a commonly used approach for appropriate AVMs at WMCHealth.
- Endovascular treatment: A specialist guides a catheter through your blood vessels to treat the AVM from inside the vessel.
- Microsurgical resection: A neurosurgeon removes the AVM through surgery when its size and location make this approach appropriate.
You may need more than one treatment approach. When that happens, WMCHealth specialists can combine treatments based on your AVM and individual needs.
Follow-Up After AVM Treatment
Your care continues after treatment. WMCHealth specialists follow you over the long term to monitor the treated AVM and determine whether additional evaluation is needed.
Follow-up usually includes brain imaging, such as MRI or cerebral catheter angiography. Depending on your treatment and individual condition, this imaging may be scheduled one year, three years, or longer after treatment.