Developmental Venous Anomaly

Synonyms:

a.k.a. Venous malformations a.k.a. venous angioma

Diagnosis:

MRI:

  • Linear structures with flow voids
  • Dilated medullary veins: Around the ventricles, transcerebral course
  • One large vein may drain into dural sinus or deep vein
  • Enhance with contrast: caput medusae or umbrella shaped
  • Features of associated cavernous malformation may be present

Catheter Angiography:

  • Normal arteries in size & number
  • Persistence of normally filling abnormal aberrant veins, sometimes blush occurs
  • Paraventricular, but also occur subcortically
  • One large vein may drain into dural sinus or deep vein

Pathology:

  • Ectatic venous channels.
  • No surrounding blood products.
  • No gliosis

Treatment:

  • No treatment is necessary, this is a normal variant
  • Avoid surgery or embolization, this will lead to ischemic stroke

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