Recurrence of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation after surgical excision

Complete excision of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) should eliminate the future risk of an associated intracranial hemorrhage. Because total removal of an AVM may be difficult to assess at the rime of surgery, postoperative angiography has become the accepted standard for documenting that the removal has been accomplished. However, even angiographically confirmed excision of an AVM does not completely ensure against rebleeding. Regrowth of an AVM with subsequent hemorrhage can occur. This has been documented in children and is attributed to forces acting on the immature vasculature of these younger patients. The authors report the case of an older patient whose AVM recurred when he was 28 years of age, despite an angiographically proven complete excision. and emphasize that, even in adults, angiographic documentation of total removal does not always eliminate the risk of reformation of an AVM.