Radiotherapy for AVM-related epilepsy Beaming the seizure away?

摘要

The majority of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) detected in the United States are diagnosed unruptured and among those, epileptic seizures constitute the most common clinical presentation in otherwise asymptomatic patients.1 Recent population-based data suggest the 5-year incidence of first-ever seizures after AVM diagnosis is about 8%, but may increase to 23% after eventual AVM rupture during follow-up.2 Other AVM-specific predictors of seizures include increasing AVM size, frontal lobe and arterial border zone location, and the presence of superficial drainage.3 Similar to headaches, AVM-related seizures may disappear,4 worsen,5 or remain the same after successful interventional therapy.6 Nonetheless, systematic follow-up studies on seizure activity after AVM eradication are rare.