Arteriovenous Malformation Information Page
Table of Contents
What is Arteriovenous Malformation?
Is there any treatment?
What is the prognosis?
What research is being done?
Organizations
What is Arteriovenous Malformation?
An
arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a congenital disorder
characterized by a complex, tangled web of arteries and veins. An
AVM may occur in the brain, brainstem, or spinal cord and is caused
by abnormal development of blood vessels. The most common symptoms
of AVM include hemorrhaging (bleeding), seizures, headaches, and
neurological problems such as paralysis or loss of speech, memory,
or vision.
Is there any treatment?
There are three general forms
of treatment for AVM: surgery; embolization, which involves closing
off the vessels of the AVM by injecting glue into them (embolization
is often used before surgery); and radiosurgery, which involves
focusing radiation on the AVM.
What is the prognosis?
AVMs that hemorrhage can lead
to serious neurological problems, and sometimes death. However, some
people have AVMs that never cause problems.
What research is being
done?
The NINDS conducts and
supports a wide range of studies that explore the complex mechanisms
of normal brain development. The knowledge gained from these
fundamental studies provides the foundation for understanding how
this process can go awry and, thus, offers hope for new means to
treat and prevent congenital disorders including AVM.
Organizations:
Angioma Alliance
107 Quaker Meeting
House Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188
info@angiomaalliance.org
http://www.angiomaalliance.org/
Tel:
866-HEAL-CCM (433-5226) 757-258-3355
International Radiosurgery Support
Association (IRSA)
P.O. Box 5186
Harrisburg, PA
17110
getinfo@irsa.org
http://www.irsa.org/
Tel:
717-260-9808
Fax: 717-260-9809
National Organization for Rare Disorders
(NORD)
P.O. Box 1968
(55 Kenosia Avenue)
Danbury,
CT 06813-1968
orphan@rarediseases.org
http://www.rarediseases.org/
Tel:
203-744-0100 Voice Mail 800-999-NORD (6673)
Fax:
203-798-2291
Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public
Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information
purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or
an official position of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the
treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained
through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient
or is familiar with that patient's medical history.
Last updated December 16, 2004
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