Today I had my neuro surgery appointment and my surgeon explained all of the different options and said it is my decision which of course now I am more confused. She is ordering a Functional MRI to determine if my avm location will have any impact on language if operated on. I am left handed to see if where my Avm will affect my speech. She also explained in detail exactly where it is. It is in the right temporal lobe superior temple Jirus. The Avm is draining superficially. She said it is not a high risk lesion but is in a good spot for removal. I am 99 % sure I want it removed so that I don't have to worry about a bleed in the future but wanted to see what some of your thoughts were. She also mentioned the Aruba trial wasn't sure if any of you were familar with that?
Hi Kinder,
Tough decision I know. Each treatment option has it's pluses and minuses. Where will you have it treated? As long as your team has treated many hundreds of AVMs like yours, you should be good to go.
When we had to decide, we finally just sat down and tried to write out the pros/cons of each, along with time to obliteration and risk. It's good to get the opinions of others, but ultimately, you will end up making the decision based on what you think is best for you.
Best wishes,
Ron, KS
Hi Kinder..My AVM was discovered by accident in 2007. I found the best neurosurgen who specializes with AVM's in my area. If you would like, please read my profile. I was 57 when my AVM was discovered and saw a team of about 8 doctors who sat down and explained my options. Because of my age, the location and size of my AVM..I only had one option, Proton Beam Radiation. At that meeting, I asked the top doc.."what about if I do nothing and he said, Louisa there is an 85% chance you will have a brain bleed because of your age". There are so many different options, spending on location, size, age of patient, etc. for so many people with AVM's. What I would do if I were you...was research all the different types of treatment, make another appt. with your neuro doc to sit down and say,,"What would you do if you were me." Then if you totally trust your doctor..it's only you to make the right decision. Keep us informed...and Stay Strong Stay Positive! Louisa
You may want to get opinions from other neurosurgeons. Make sure your surgeon knows AVMs and has experience treating them. Ask how many AVM resections they have performed. You want to make sure you trust them competely. If the general concensus of the docs is that it can be removed safely I'd sure want to go with that. Ultimately, like the others have said, it's your decision and I think you'll know what is right for you.