Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) carry an elevated risk of stroke, but therapeutic intervention in individuals with unruptured AVMs can sometimes do more harm than good. A new retrospective study reported in Stroke has demonstrated the benefits of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) — one of the least invasive AVM interventions — in patients with small unruptured AVMs: a 53% reduction in the risk of cerebral haemorrhage was observed after SRS. The authors conclude that SRS is a viable therapeutic option for patients with small unruptured AVMs, although they acknowledge that further studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm the advantages of this approach.
References
Hanakita, S. et al. Risk reduction of cerebral stroke after stereotactic radiosurgery for small unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations. Stroke http://dx.doi.org/0.1161/STROKEAHA.116.013132 (2016)
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Wood, H. Stereotactic radiosurgery reduces stroke risk in patients with small unruptured brain AVMs. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.63
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.63