Arteriovenous Malformations

Arteriovenous Malformations

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body's cells and veins return oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs and heart. When arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) disrupt this process, they can reduce the amount of oxygen received by brain tissues.

Although people are born with AVMs, symptoms typically don't develop until early adulthood, between 20 to 40 years of age. The most common symptoms include:

• Hemorrhage or bleeding into the brain
• Headache
• Stroke
• Other neurological deficits, depending on the AVM location

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated February 26, 2008