My Gamma Knife procedure was today and it went surprisingly quick. It was estimated to be 45 minutes and ended up only being 25. Afterwards my doctor told me he’s had a few cases that were obliterated in under a year, including one that was destroyed in 3 months! Perhaps the quickness of my procedure has me hoping to have a very fast obliteration too, but has anyone’s AVM also been destroyed in under a year and if so, how many treatments did it take and what grade was it?
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Hi Barth
I think it depends on the size of the AVM and if it’s diffused.
Bigger AVM means a longer wait for obliteration.
I try not to have any expectations so I can’t be dissapointed!
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I was told 3-7 years. I am sure everyone is different. I’m in my 4th year and it’s still not gone. Best of luck. I hope you are one of the fast ones.
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Hah me too! Already got hit with some nausea this morning, it sucks when you’re constantly fearing every headache or other symptom is a precursor to something much worse. I hope your AVM gets obliterated soon.
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As some one mentioned it depends on size.
I had gamma knife in 2003, followed up with angiogram in 2005, it was gone.
However, it retuned in 2015.
Went through craniotomy in 2015.
Sharing my experience not to scare but be vigilant and keep testing for 4-5 years.
It took me years, from 25 years old to 40. I had about 15 procedures. Not Gamma knife but inhecting a cryo glue like substance, embolization. My pain was excruciating, every day. It was in my pelvis and all feeders drained into a vein that was very enlarged, then wrapping around intestine. As i understand it, your body thinks the feeders belong and they grow back. There’s hope so hang in. They originally thought i had cancer and 6 months to live. Dr. Robert Rosen save my life!
On October 27th 2022 I was at work when I started feeling nauseous and my vision was blurry. I had a seizure and a mild stroke, I fell hit my head and broke my jaw. I don’t remember anything until I arrived at the hospital. The doctors told me my jaw was broken and my scans showed I had an AVM rupture. The hospital I was at was not a trauma center so the air lifted me to Savannah Memorial. When I landed I went into surgery I had an embolization and they wired my jaw shut. I spent two weeks in the ICU. My jaw was wired shut until January 2023. I got fitted for a helmet and did more CTs, MRIs and a MRA shortly after all the metal was out of my mouth. January 29th 2023 I received Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. My AVM was a Spetzler-Martin grade 4. October 13 2023 I received good news that the AVM started to shrink and the blood flow was slowing. April 22 2024 I took more scans and received great news that my AVM was obliterated.
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