Short term effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery in the management of brain arteriovenous malformation

AIM: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of Gamma knife radiosurgery as a modality of treatment of brain arteriovenous malformation. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with arteriovenous brain malformations underwent Gamma knife radiosurgery included in this prospective study between April 2017 and September 2018 with clinical and radiological with MRI follow up was done at three months and six months post-Gamma knife radiosurgery. By the end of the 12th-month post-Gamma knife radiosurgery, the patients were re-evaluated using digital subtraction angiography co-registered with M.R.I. During the 12 months follow up, CT scan or MRI was done at any time if any one of the patients᾽ condition deteriorated or developed signs and symptoms of complications. The mean volume of the arteriovenous malformations treated was 26.0 ± 5 cm (range 12.5–39.5 cm) in The Neurosciences Hospital, Baghdad/Iraq. RESULTS: By the end of the 12th month of follow up, the overall obliteration of the arteriovenous malformations was seen in six patients only (9.5%), while shrinkage was noticed in 57 patients (90.5%). Improvement or clinical stability was found in 24 out of 39 patients (61.5%) presented with epilepsy as a chief complaint before Gamma knife radiosurgery and 21 out of 24 patients (87.0%) complained of a headache before Gamma knife radiosurgery. Post-Gamma knife radiosurgery bleeding was found in only three patients (5.0%). CONCLUSION: Even with the short term follow up, Gamma knife radiosurgery has an excellent clinical outcome in most patients with arteriovenous brain malformations. The clinical symptoms like headache and seizure were either diminished or controlled with the same medical treatment dose before Gamma knife radiosurgery. Long term clinical and radiological follow up is recommended.