Clinical characteristics of arteriovenous malformations of the head and neck

BACKGROUND Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the head and neck regions show low incidence; hence, studies regarding the causative factors of onset, diagnostic criteria, clinical aspects, treatment methods, and outcomes remain lacking. OBJECTIVE To share the diagnostic and treatment experiences at the center and to understand the treatments' effect through a retrospective analysis of cases in the past 15 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS The authors included 60 patients with AVM in the head and neck area between January 1999 and September 2014 to investigate diagnostic methods, distributions and locations of lesions, clinical stage, and treatment methods by retrospective evaluation. RESULTS In all, 3.7% were diagnosed with AVMs of the head and neck. No sex-related differences were observed, and the mean age at diagnosis was 27.6 ± 14.24 years. The left (26 patients, 43%) and V2 sections (33 patients, 55%) of the head and neck were the most frequent locations. Stage II (28 patients, 47%) had the largest distribution. Forty-four patients (73%) showed improvement after sclerotherapy, embolization, and surgical resection. CONCLUSION The diagnosis and treatment of AVMs should be approached on a case-by-case basis by gathering opinions from specialists in each department using medical history, physical examination, and imaging results.