Arteriovenous Malformation (cont.)
What research is being done?
Within the Federal government, the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), has primary responsibility for sponsoring research on neurological
disorders. As part of its mission, the NINDS conducts research on AVMs and other
vascular lesions of the central nervous system and supports studies through
grants to major medical institutions across the country.
In partnership with the medical school of Columbia University, the NINDS has
established a long-term Arteriovenous Study Group to learn more about the
natural course of AVMs in patients and to improve the surgical treatment of
these lesions.
Another group of NINDS-sponsored researchers is currently studying large
populations of patients with AVMs to formulate criteria that will allow doctors
to predict more accurately the risk of hemorrhage in individual patients. Of
particular importance is the role that high blood pressure within the lesion
plays in the onset of hemorrhage. Other scientists are examining the genetic
basis of familial cavernous malformations and other hereditary syndromes that
cause neurological vascular lesions, including ataxia telangiectasia.
Other scientists are seeking to refine the techniques now available to treat
AVMs. Radiosurgery is a special area of interest because this technology is
still in its infancy. An ongoing study is closely examining the precise effects
that radiation exposure has on vascular tissue in order to improve the
predictability and consistency of treatment results.
Finally, several ongoing studies are devoted to developing new noninvasive
neuroimaging technologies to increase the effectiveness and safety of AVM
surgery. Some scientists are pioneering the use of MRI to measure amounts of
oxygen present in the brain tissue of patients with vascular lesions in order to
predict the brain's response to surgical therapies. Others are developing a new
micro-imager that may be inserted into catheters to increase the accuracy of
angiography. In addition, new types of noninvasive imaging devices are being
developed that detect functional brain activity through changes in tissue light
emission or reflectance. This technology may prove more sensitive than MRI and
other imaging devices currently available, giving surgeons a new tool for
improving the efficacy and safety of AVM surgery.
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