Cavernous Malformations

Diagnosis

Cavernous malformations are generally discovered during an MRI scan. The scan may have been performed to investigate seizures or other neurological problems caused by cavernous malformations, or it may have been done during testing for other diseases.

Seizures, abnormal electrical discharges of the brain, are the most common way that cavernous malformations near the cortex (gray matter) are discovered.

Other symptoms of cavernous malformations include a gradual decline in function from repeated small hemorrhages. Typically, a person recovers somewhat from a relatively mild neurologic deficit (weakness in an arm or leg, incoordination or double vision) and then has another hemorrhage and worsens. This pattern may repeat itself until the lesion is treated.

Devastating or life-threatening hemorrhages from cavernous malformations are uncommon. However, if the malformation is located in an area of the brain responsible for movement or speech, even a small hemorrhage can cause significant neurologic deficits.

An MRI is the best technique for detecting cavernous malformations, which usually have a very characteristic appearance that makes their diagnosis almost certain. There is no known risk in having an MRI scan and no radiation is involved. The test requires that a person lay very still for up to 45 minutes. People who are claustrophobic may require sedating medication in order to make the MRI more tolerable.