Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) of the spinal cord in children

The cases of 38 children with AVM seen at the Lariboisiere Hospital since 1962 are reviewed. The clinical picture was often of sudden onset with impairment of motor function and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The diagnosis was usually made by myelography, but spinal arteriography is the key examination, since it confirms the diagnosis and is essential to determine the exact location of the angioma: whether it is extramedullary, intramedullary, or mixed. Angiotomography and angiomyelography with magnification are necessary to determine if the lesion is median, compact, and if it has long sulcocommissural arteries, details which have an important bearing on the prognosis. Operation should be performed as soon as possible after its feasibility has been demonstrated angiographically. But embolization with new materials has also been effective, either associated with operation or as an alternative. (orig.)