ABC Medical Center > Cavernous malformations

What is Cavernous malformations?

12:39 - 3 November , 2023

Disease

These are abnormal blood vessels in the brain or spinal cord that have a reduced diameter and thin walls, which causes slow blood circulation that is susceptible to leaks and hemorrhages.

Cavernous malformations, whose origin is generally spontaneous, can also be hereditary. They usually look like a small raspberry that can measure from 0.5 to 10 centimeters. When they appear in the brain, they can produce symptoms similar to a stroke. In contrast, when they appear in the spinal cord, there may be numbness in the limbs, movement difficulties, and intestinal and bladder alterations.

Signs and symptoms Cavernous malformations

  • Seizures.
  • Severe migraines.
  • Weak upper and lower limbs.
  • Numbness.
  • Numbness.
  • Problems speaking.
  • Attention difficulties.
  • Memory disorders.
  • Trouble walking.
  • Loss of balance.
  • Vision alterations.

Among cavernous malformation most serious complications are:

  • Recurrent nosebleeds.
  • Stroke.
  • Progressive neurological damage.

Diagnosis and treatment Cavernous malformations

After the doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, they will perform a physical and neurological examination and will request various tests to rule out other conditions and corroborate the diagnosis, such as:

  • Magnetic resonance angiography.
  • Genetic tests.

The treatment to follow will depend on the severity of the symptoms, the location, and size of the cavernous malformations, but, in general, they must be treated by a multidisciplinary team that includes:

  • Neurologists.
  • Cerebrovascular neurologists.
  • Neurosurgeons.
  • Neuroradiologists.

Normally, the therapy to follow may consist of:

  • Medication.
  • Surgery.

At the Neurology Center, a select group of highly trained and certified doctors in various neurological specialties is ready to assist you with the quality and warmth that characterizes us.

Fuentes:

  • neurology.com
  • topdoctors.es
  • cun.es
  • neurology.org
  • middlesexhealth.org
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • msdmanuals.com
  • medigraphic.com
  • Díaz CA, Zottis GC, Rehder R, et al. Angioma cavernoso de los nervios craneales: Manejo quirúrgico, resultados y complicaciones. Rev Mex Neuroci. 2010;11(4):258-268.

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