REVIEW  BRAIN ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS 

Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences 2018 August;62(4):454-66

DOI: 10.23736/S0390-5616.18.04394-1

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Modern classification and outcome predictors of surgery in patients with brain arteriovenous malformations

Ali TAYEBI MEYBODI, Michael T. LAWTON ✉

Division of Neurological Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVM) are challenging lesions. Part of this challenge stems from the infinite diversity of these lesions regarding shape, location, anatomy, and physiology. This diversity has called on a variety of treatment modalities for these lesions, of which microsurgical resection prevails as the mainstay of treatment. As such, outcome prediction and managing strategy mainly rely on unraveling the nature of these complex tangles and ways each lesion responds to various therapeutic modalities. This strategy needs the ability to decipher each lesion through accurate and efficient categorization. Therefore, classification schemes are essential parts of treatment planning and outcome prediction. This article summarizes different surgical classification schemes and outcome predictors proposed for bAVMs.

KEY WORDS: Patient outcome assessment - Weights and measures - Prognosis - Postoperative period - Arteriovenous malformations - Brain