Cavernous Malformations

Treatment

At Mayo Clinic, treatment of cavernous malformations involves observation and surgery, depending on the severity of your malformation. Your doctor will work with you to find the most appropriate approach for you. Treatment may include:

• Observation. Your doctor will monitor your cavernous malformation with yearly MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to see if the malformation changes. Your doctor may recommend observation if your malformation is found during tests for other conditions and isn't causing problems.

  If you're not experiencing symptoms from the malformation, you may require an MRI every one to two years to monitor your condition. In some situations, repeat imaging may not be required.

• Surgery. If your symptoms result from a malformation that can be reached surgically, your doctor may recommend surgery. If your malformation is hard to reach, your doctor may continue observation and recommend surgery only if you have multiple bleeding events or your symptoms worsen.
• Stereotactic radiosurgery. On rare occasions, doctors may use stereotactic radiosurgery (targeted radiation) to treat malformations causing repeated bleeding in areas of the brain that can't be treated with surgery. This may decrease the repeat hemorrhage rate. However, radiosurgery hasn't been shown to completely eliminate malformations.