How many of you seeked treatment for an unruptured AVM?

Me! I am due for stereotactic radiosurgery in 10 days time on an unruptured avm. For me the lifetime risk of a bleed was too great not to have it treated ( over 70%, I am 29) My neuro highly recommended treatment. The other reason I wanted treatment is because I hope to be rid of the side effects from having the avm, headaches, tingling, memory loss, slurred speech.. it all has a major effect on my life, so treatment seemed the best option :)

Me too. As soon as I found out about it I was determined to get it treated, my chances of getting a bleed was told to be 50% so my choice was to treat it.

Treatment in my opinion is way too risky!if unruptured there has to be a better way dont give up!!!

I have an unruptured AVM for which craniotomy and stereotactic radiosurgery have been considered. The only symptoms I have had was a sudden severe headache that I'm told was probably not due to the AVM. Right now, the doctors are leaning toward radiosurgery. I do not understand why. My AVM is small, shallow, and on the non-eloquent side of my brain (Grade 1 AVM). I thought radiosurgery was usually only recommended if the AVM was deep in the brain or if the patient refused a craniotomy. I hope to get clarification at Johns Hopkins Hospital next Tuesday. If interested, you can check out my blog.
Regards,
Mike N

My husband had his unruptured AVM removed through surgery last year. They had watched his for a couple of years and his was growing and changing. It was small and in the right frontal lobe. His neurosurgeon felt due to it growing and small (small ones tend to rupture more than larger ones) his chance of having a bleed was very high. He wanted to give him a 100% chance of a bleed but said he knows thats not true and some people will never bleed...so he said 95% chance. While it has not been the easist recovery knowing it is not there anymore so it can never bleed has taken a weight off. Before every symptom he got (he also has seizures) made us question if he had bleed and if we needed to go the ER (which we could not afford to be doing every month).

Hi,
Mine has not ruptured either, I am still seeking treatment to fix mine. I’ve been thru surgery which did not work and now it’s spreading further and my Headaches are getting much worse so I’m going for emolization next month with the hope that it fixes it this time as the bruit and constant headaches drive me insane and interupt my daily life.

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I did....I never had any problems or symptoms from my AVM- or better - maybe i had, but I didnt know it, there are many things that can be related to AVMs, but I lived 38 years good. I only had one Grand Mal seizure last year in june and they made a MRI an found out I had that fucker in my head.I was given the option to let it how it was, have stereotactic surgery or craniotomy. I choose the crani, coz I - for myself - couldnt live knowing I had a big time bomb in my head. But everyone is different and must know what its the best for himself. Take care XXX