Chances of AVM recruiting new vessels

I am anxious to have my angiogram in December of this year. The last one I had, showed that my AVM had recruited 2 new vessels. My neuro told me that that was because an area got missed when I had my radiation treatments. I had 2 separate radiation treatments because of the large size. He did say that if it had that he would recommend surgery. He feels that it would be safe if it came to that because it had shrank significantly. Don’t know if I have asked this question before or not. My memory isn’t the best, but I don’t have to tell anyone about that…LOL.

Memory whats memory Jane…

Melissa,

My understanding (and the extremity AVM folk will I think tell you this happens a lot) is that if you leave the smallest gap in the AVM, it stands a chance of recruiting again.

I don’t know why it seems to happen in extremity AVMs more – perhaps with everything tucked up inside the cranium, there is less stress, less movement of any embolization, whereas in a limb, there is bound to be more flexing of muscle, etc.

But I think yours is intracranial. There is a chance of missing a bit of the AVM and needing to review and revisit it to make sure it isn’t back on the warpath. I don’t know that that recruitment is fast. I’ve read of people taking years to get to the point of first diagnosis, so if there is a bit of resurgence of it going on, planning to have a look again in December sounds perfectly sensible to me.

Always talk to the doctor if you are concerned but I am not surprised that there is a good gap to next review.

Hope that helps,

Richard