IntroductionA cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an irregular connection of arteries and veins within the brain that has no defined cause; many have no symptoms (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). However, some patients experience headaches and seizures (Starke et al., 2009). The main risk of an AVM is hemorrhage and patients with AVM will always have some risk of hemorrhage (Ogilvy et al., 2001); According to Ogilvy et al (2001), more than 50% of AVMs lead to cerebral hemorrhage. The severity of the AVM will determine whether the condition needs to be treated and how it should be treated. Although treatment of AVMs in the brain seeks to maximize quality of life and eliminate the risk of brain hemorrhage, it is essential to consider the benefits and risks before treatment. The four main treatments of AVMs in the brain include resection, endovascular embolization, stereotactic radiosurgery, and multimodality (Ogilvy et al., 2001). Resection of the AVM is simply the surgical removal of the lesion with the goal of total obliteration. Endovascular embolization uses a catheter to inject a glue-like substance to block the AVM (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). According to Ogilvy et al. (2001), stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of focused radiation that destroys the AVM. Multimodal treatment is a combination of two or more treatments, and the most common form of multiple treatment is embolization combined with resection or radiosurgery (Ogilvy et al., 2001). Endovascular embolization can be used to reduce the size of the AVM and therefore make resection or radiosurgery more effective in reducing the risk of hemorrhage (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). The Spetzler-Martin scale is often used to determine relative risk and...... middle of paper ......., Stieg, P.E., Awad, I., Brown, R.D., Kondziolka, D., Rosenwasser , R., … Hademenos, G. (2001). Recommendations for the management of intracranial arteriovenous malformations. American Stroke Association, 32, 1458-1471. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.32.6.1458 Shuttleworth, Martyn. (2009). Meta-analysis. Retrieved from http://explorable.com/meta-analysisStarke, RM, Komotar, RJ, Hwang, BY, Fischer, LE, Garret, MC, Otten, ML, … Connolly, ES (2009). Guidelines for the microsurgical treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations. British Journal of Neurosurgery, 23(4), 376-386. doi: 10.1080/02688690902977662Yen, C., Sheehan, J.P., Schwyzer, L., Schlesinger, D. (2011). Risk of hemorrhage from cerebral arteriovenous malformations before and during the latency period after Gamma Knife radiosurgery. American Stroke Association, 42, 1691-1696. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.602706