brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
Introduction
An arteriovenous malformation is a tangle of dilated blood vessels that directly connect arteries and veins, bypassing the capillaries (which normally connect arteries and veins). Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) may or may not cause bleeding in the brain. They may cause headaches with or without bleeding in the brain. Doctors do brain imaging to diagnose AVMs. Treatment may involve surgery to remove the AVM, radiosurgery to destroy the AVM, placement of material to block the AVM's blood supply, or a combination of treatments, but observation is also an option. Brain (cerebral) arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are uncommon. AVMs may or may not cause bleeding. Bleeding due to AVMs usually occurs in brain tissue ( Intracerebral Hemorrhage ), but it may occur in the space (subarachnoid space) between the inner and middle layers of the tissues covering the brain ( AVMs can cause seizures or headache, typically in young adults. AVMs may cause headaches with no bleeding. 