This may seem like a strange question, but does anyone know why an AVM might not be suitable for gamma treatment other than size or position?
When I came out of my last embolisation in 2001 I was told that it was just as well I hadn’t opted for gamma because it would not have worked. I never went into any expansion on it because I truly believed the embolisations had ended the bleeding threat, cos that was what I was told. However I had another bleed in 2009 and it has taken me all this time to try to unravel events! THe trouble is the endolvascular radiologist has left , and I am dealing with a neurosurgeon , and I know my AVM is not accessible surgically. THis is UK…second opinions etc…getting appointments with right people is not like the USA…
I find asking others with these conditions gives me better info than medics…
Well I do know that what radiation actually does is damage blood vessels in a given area. As the brain begins to heal this creates scar tissue. Over time, hopefully, scar tissue builds up and occludes (blocks) the vessels feeding the nidus (most unstable part) of the AVM. Well that blood has to go somewhere and when it gets diverted it is up to the surrounding vasculature (blood vessels) to pick up the slack, forces them to work harder. Though occluding an AVM reduces the risk of a bleed from a rupture of the most unstable part of the AVM there can be other complications. For example aneurysms can develop as a result of that diverted blood flow and they can burst. Sometimes occluding certain blood vessels feeding an AVM can cause a patient to have a stroke so of course if the specialists think that will be a likely outcome they are not going to attempt it. Those are just a couple additional things I know doctors consider when evaluating an AVM that you didn't mention. Whether either is applicable or not in your case that I can't say. I'm sure they probably take into consideration a lot of other things too that I don't know about. Anyhow you can always ask your neurosurgeon why he feels you are not a good candidate for gamma knife, to show you your imagining, and explain what it is he sees on your slides that has him concerned. He should explain to you why he thinks it would be a bad idea, would not be helpful to you, is too much of a risk.
Thanks Rhonda…in the UK , getting info from medics is hard work
Just wanted to say that I'm in the usa and haven't noticed Anything great about our healthcare.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...
The expertise Is better in the USA…that I can tell you…we haven’t even got proton beam over here…I notice that the majority of people who are not cured are from UK…I can tell where people are from by their posts before I logg onto their names…
The flow volume can be a factor in determining if Gamma Knife radiation is a feasible treatment option or not.
I was told that the radiotherapy is more effective on smaller lesions. Perhaps yours is too big. The other thing I found out was that because of the location of mine, near the auditory nerve, I would have a high chance of hearing loss if I went with the radiotherapy. Perhaps yours is located somewhere that would have similar risk of loss of function. I'm no expert, just passing on some things I was told. Best Wishes.