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A persons face to look uneven or droop to one sideWeakness or numbness in one or both arms " “ For example, one arm might drift down if a person tries to hold both arms out.Trouble speaking, or speech that sounds strange
Should I call the doctor or nurse? " ” Yes. If you have a seizure or severe headache, call your doctor or nurse right away. ‚
If you have symptoms of a stroke, call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, dial 9-1-1). ‚
Is there a test for an AVM? " ” Yes. The doctor or nurse can do different tests to check for an AVM. Tests can include: ‚
- A CT or MRI scan of the brain " “ These are imaging tests that create pictures of the inside of the brain.
- Cerebral angiography " “ This test shows how blood flows through the blood vessels in the brain. For this test, the doctor will put a thin tube into a large blood vessel in your body, usually one in your leg. Then the doctor will advance the tube up into your neck. When the tube is in place, he or she will inject a dye into the tube and take X-rays. The dye will show up on the X-rays.
How is an AVM treated? " ” Treatment depends on different factors, including: ‚
- Whether your AVM is bleeding or not
- How big your AVM is and where it is in your brain
- Your symptoms
AVMs that are bleeding or causing symptoms usually need treatment. The different treatments for an AVM include: ‚
- Surgery to remove the AVM
- Radiosurgery " “ This is not surgery. It involves getting radiation (high doses of X-rays) in the area of the AVM. Over time, the radiation makes the AVM less likely to bleed. This treatment usually takes a few years to work.
- Embolization " “ This is a procedure done during cerebral angiography. The doctor puts a material into the blood vessel that brings blood to the AVM. The material blocks off the blood vessel. Sometimes this procedure works on its own. Other times, doctors do surgery or radiosurgery after it.
If your AVM is causing seizures, your doctor will treat your seizures with anti-seizure medicines. These medicines can help prevent you from having more seizures. ‚
If your AVM is not bleeding or causing symptoms, your doctor will talk with you about whether it needs to be treated. Not all AVMs need to be treated, especially if they are not bleeding or causing symptoms. ‚
There are benefits and downsides to treating AVMs that are not bleeding or causing symptoms. The main benefit is that treatment can prevent a future bleed in the brain. The main downside is that the treatments can cause problems of their own. For example, surgery can cause a seizure, stroke, or brain swelling or bleeding. ‚
What if I want to get pregnant? " ” If you have an AVM and want to get pregnant, talk with your doctor. He or she might recommend treating your AVM before you try to get pregnant. ‚
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. ‚
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. ‚
Topic 17183 Version 3.0 ‚
Release: 22.8 - C22.208 ‚
‚ © 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. ‚
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‚ © 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. ‚