Brain arteriovenous malformations.

Brain arteriovenous malformations are an important cause of intracerebral hemorrhage in the young. Ruptured AVM's are often treated, as the risk of rebleeding is high. The treatment of incidentally discovered, unruptured AVMs is controversial as the morbidity and mortality of treatment may exceed that of the AVM's natural history. Management is multimodal and includes observation with follow up, as well as microsurgical resection, endovascular embolization, and stereotactic radiosurgery. Multidisciplinary teams are important in evaluating patients for treatment. The goal of treatment is complete AVM obliteration while preserving neurologic function.