My daughter had a cerebral hemorrhage due to an avm this past may. We had no knowledge of this avm until the hemorrhage.
She had surgery June 8th, 2015 and is recovering well.
So I was looking back at a CT scan from 2010 when she was brought into the ER for a seizure. It wasn’t noted there was any abnormality. But I noticed this in the same spot where the avm/ hemorrhage was.
I’m wondering if this could of be caught beforehand. If this was a sign and it was missed. Any input?
Crystal, the is a good question for your neurosurgeon. We have a number of member who had warning signs of a rupture that were not attended to -- headaches, seizures, numbness, etc. Hindsight is 20/20, but avms are rare enough and the warnings signs non-specific enough that things can get missed. Spots on an MRI can mean many things, too, which is why an angiogram is generally needed to diagnose an AVM. At this point it is best to move forward, as there is much to focus on that can aid your daughter's recovery.
Hi Crystal. Unfortunately, many AVM ruptures are the first time the patient ever finds out they have an AVM. And like Madere said, hindsight is 20/20 and we start realizing little signs and symptoms that could have lead to an earlier diagnosis. I had chronic headaches and no doctor could figure them out, even after MRI and CT scans. My AVM doesn’t show up on earlier scans because they did not use contrast. AVMs are difficult to pick up on scans because they are vascular and usually small. The only time they will show up on those scans is if they used contrast dye, and even then the AVM can’t be distinguished very well. They have to use Angiogram to diagnose. Ask your neuro team to sit down and review the earlier scans with you.
I’m sure you just wish this never had to happen to your child. If they missed it or not, you can’t change the past. Your daughter is very lucky that she could have surgery and that she is healing well. Best wishes that she continues to improve.