AVM obliteration after SRS

Symptoms & Treatment
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Hi guys,

I’m Jo from Thailand and I’ve been reading the posts on this forum since the 31st of March 2022, when I was diagnosed with a Spetzler-Martin Grade 3 AVM in the left side of my brain. The AVM was pretty small at ~1.3cm but had venous drainage and was in an eloquent area.

It started a few weeks earlier when I had debilitating Ice Pick headaches prior to sleep. After a few weeks of these headaches reoccurring, I decided to go to the doctors, and they suggested for an MRI (with Gadolinium), and the AVM was found.

After talking to 3 different doctors, they decided that Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) was the best option so on the 6th of May 2022 I had the SRS treatment using the Truebeam machine at Chulalongkorn Hospital.

I have been having an annual MRI since then, but every year, the AVM seems to have not made any progress… until last month! After 3 and a half years, last month on the 7th of November 2025, the MRI now showed no more signs of the AVM!

I am planning to do another MRI and an Angiogram in the future to confirm the complete obliteration of the AVM, but honestly just seeing the AVM being gone from the MRI scan made me so relieved. After a few years of 0 progress, this was definitely not the expected outcome.

I just want thank the people on this forum as it has been very helpful in keeping me in a stable and decent mental state, especially the days and weeks after being diagnosed, as I was able to read everyone’s different stories and journeys with this disease, and it made me feel less alone throughout this journey.

Also want to give encouraging support to everyone who’s currently in the process of treatment and recovery. You are not alone and the people in this community are behind you and rooting for you. Best of luck with the treatment and recovery :blush:

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That is great to hear! John

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Welcome Peamjo.

I find this very encouraging as i had SRS last November and just got my first one year MRI. The results were disappointing and showed no change whatsoever. Your post gives me hope that, despite the first year disappointment, success could still come out of it.

Thanks again for sharing.

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This is great to hear and quite interesting to bear in mind regarding your progress.

I was in hospital this time last year with a completely unexpected brain haemorrhage.

I was off work til April this year. My balance was shot and I needed to learn to walk again.

I’m now scheduled to have SRS to treat a small AVM near my cerebellum at Sheffield in England in January i hope.

Like many on this group it’s a weird existence now of being back at work, living life as before (thankfully) but wondering how the dice will roll and whether I should live for today or save for tomorrow…. I guess it should be a bit of both.

I’ll bear your experience in mind and use it to not get too down if my AVM doesn’t degrade as immediate as I’d like.

Thank you for updating.

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The pattern that @PeamJo describes seems pretty common to me, so definitely don’t be put off if it takes a few years. Equally, enjoy today but plan for life after the AVM as well: this place is called AVM survivors for a reason!

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