Cerebral cavernous malformations care at Mayo Clinic

Each year, doctors at Mayo Clinic treat more than 3,900 people with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs).

Your doctors work together as an integrated team to provide you with comprehensive care, whether your condition calls for observation, medication or surgery. Mayo Clinic doctors trained in many areas study CCMs and related conditions to advance the science of care.

Your Mayo Clinic care team

Mayo Clinic doctors trained in brain and nervous system conditions (neurologists), brain and nervous system surgery (neurosurgeons), brain imaging (neuroradiologists), and other specialties have experience diagnosing and treating people with CCMs and other brain and blood vessel conditions (cerebrovascular conditions).

Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion — care is discussed among the team, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and highly specialized experts are all working together to determine what's best for you or your child.

Advanced diagnosis and treatment

Determining the best treatment for people with CCMs requires assessing the risks and benefits of surgery. Due to the large number of people with cavernous malformations they treat each year, Mayo Clinic subspecialists in cerebrovascular conditions have detailed, experiential knowledge of the course of the condition over time. Mayo clinicians have been deeply involved in natural history studies of the condition.

In addition, Mayo staff also conducts significant research into cavernous malformation biomarkers as well as whether certain inflammatory laboratory studies and vitamin D influence whether people with CCMs bleed or not.

A Mayo physician serves as a scientific adviser to the Angioma Alliance, a leading patient advocacy group for people with CCMs.

Cerebral cavernous malformation surgical expertise

Mayo Clinic has neurovascular surgeons who specialize in procedures involving blood vessels in the brain, and neuroradiologists who provide state-of-the-art monitoring during surgery. They are authorities on best surgical approaches and practices for CCMs that require intervention.

Mayo Clinic's multidisciplinary expertise and depth of experience mean that whether your condition calls for observation over time or surgical intervention, physicians and surgeons expert in each phase of diagnosis and treatment work together to bring you the best possible outcomes for your particular needs.

Center of Excellence for cavernous malformations

Mayo Clinic in Minnesota has been named a Center of Excellence for treating cavernous malformations by the Angioma Alliance.

Expertise and rankings

  • Experience. Mayo Clinic doctors typically see thousands of people with CCMs a year. Mayo Clinic has neurologists and neurosurgeons with subspecialty expertise in cerebrovascular conditions, including CCMs.
  • Teamwork. Mayo Clinic neurologists, neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons work together to diagnose and treat CCMs. The Mayo Clinic Children's Center has experts in diseases of the blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord, as well as pediatric neurosurgeons.
  • Advanced research. Mayo Clinic researchers are working to learn more about how CCMs occur and which cavernous malformations might cause future problems.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.

Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurology and neurosurgery departments' expertise and rankings.

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Costs and insurance

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.

Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.