What are the treatments for congenital cerebrovascular malformations?

Congenital cerebrovascular malformation is a hereditary disease, and also a relatively serious disease that is difficult to treat. Generally speaking, there are three treatment methods for congenital cerebrovascular malformations: interventional treatment, comprehensive treatment and conservative treatment. Of course, different therapies are suitable for different patients, and there are certain differences in treatment effects. Below, I will introduce three treatments for congenital cerebral vascular malformations.

1. Interventional treatment

There are many treatments for congenital cerebrovascular malformations, including conservative treatment, radiotherapy, artificial embolization, supplying artery ligation and lesion resection, laser resection, etc. In the past, there was controversy over surgical or non-surgical treatment. From long-term observations, surgery has better effects, so surgical treatment is generally advocated. However, the specific method to be adopted needs to be considered comprehensively based on many factors such as the patient's specific physical health condition, the location of cerebrovascular malformation, complications, etc., so it cannot be generalized.

The purpose and significance of the treatment of congenital cerebrovascular malformations are: ① Completely eliminate the lesions through intravascular embolization and restore the normal blood supply to the brain tissue; ② For large cerebrovascular malformations, embolization can reduce their size, thereby reducing the chance of cerebral hemorrhage and epileptic seizures, and helping to control the clinical condition; ③ Embolization can also be used as an auxiliary means of surgery and create conditions for stereotactic radiotherapy. The method of intravascular embolization therapy is to insert a microcatheter into the abnormal vascular mass and inject an embolic agent. Medical glue is generally used to embolize the abnormal blood vessels to achieve the purpose of treatment.

2. Comprehensive treatment

Depending on the specific circumstances of congenital cerebrovascular malformations, two or more methods are selected for combined application. For example, embolization therapy can be used first to reduce the size of the abnormal vascular mass, or to reduce the risk of overperfusion, and then surgery or gamma knife treatment can be performed; residual vascular malformations after surgery can be treated with gamma knife; or vascular malformations that are not occluded after gamma knife treatment can also be treated surgically, and so on.

3. Conservative treatment

Conservative treatment can be considered for patients who are older, have only epileptic symptoms that can be controlled by medication, are located in important functional areas of the brain, are deep in the brain, or have extensive lesions. Let patients understand the natural disease process of AVM, try not to affect their work and life, guide patients to maintain good living habits and regularity, avoid excessive fatigue and excitement, control blood pressure, give anti-epileptic and other symptomatic treatments, etc.