Vasilyev S. A., Zuyev A. A.

Rupture of intracranial arterio-venous malformations: pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and treatment

Arterio-venous malformations (AVM) comprise approximately 4% within the structure of cerebrovascular diseases. Clinical manifestations of AVM correspond to either of the following types of the disease course: hemorrhagic or torpid. In 30 - 80% of the cases the clinical course of AVM is hemorrhagic. Besides, in 42 - 47% of the cases it is complicated by intracranial hematoma that is often associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage and/or intraventricular hemorrhage. The outcomes of medical treatment of such patients remain unsatisfactory (the lethality amounts 85%) but the problem concerning therapeutic approach is still controversial. The article reviews the items regarding treatment algorithms in the acute period of AVM rupture.