CAVERNOUS VENOUS MALFORMATION

Course overview

CEREBRAL CAVERNOUS MALFORMATIONS, ALSO KNOWN AS CAVERNOMAS OR CAVERNOUS HEMANGIOMAS, ARE CLUSTERS OF ABNORMAL AND HYALINIZED CAPILLARIES WITHOUT INTERVENING BRAIN TISSUE. DUE TO RECURRENT MICROHEMORRHAGES AND THROMBOSIS, THEY ARE TYPICALLY SURROUNDED BY HEMOSIDERIN DEPOSITS AND GLIOSIS. THESE LESIONS HAVE SLOW FLOW AND LOW PRESSURE, CAUSING AVERAGE RUPTURE RISK TO BE MUCH LOWER THAN THAT OF SOME OTHER VASCULAR MALFORMATIONS SUCH AS ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS. RUPTURE RISK IS ALSO DEPENDENT ON THE CAVERNOMA'S LOCATION, PRESENCE OF ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENTAL VENOUS ANOMALY, AND GENDER. ASYMPTOMATIC FAMILIAL CASES ARE ALSO THOUGHT TO HAVE A HIGHER ANNUAL HEMORRHAGE RATE THAN ASYMPTOMATIC SPORADIC CASES. CAVERNOUS MALFORMATIONS MAY ALSO ARISE DE NOVO. THEY MAY GROW, SHRINK, OR REMAIN STABLE OVER TIME. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION OF CAVERNOUS VENOUS MALFORMATIONS AND IDENTIFIES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING THIS CONDITION.