Embolization and reduction of the “steal” syndrome in cerebral arteriovenous malformations

Abstract

✓ The authors report their experience with embolization of unresectable cerebral arteriovenous malformations in 10 patients; seven showed clinical improvement, two no change, and one became worse. Follow-up studies for up to 9 years suggest that partial obliteration of a lesion that shunts blood away from normal brain alleviates the clinical syndrome by enhancing cerebral perfusion. Thus, satisfactory results may be obtained without occlusion of malformations causing symptomatology on the basis of a cerebral steal.