Treatment

Doctors trained in brain and nervous system conditions (neurologists and cerebrovascular neurologists), brain and nervous system surgery (neurosurgeons), brain imaging (neuroradiologists), and other specialties work with you to treat CCMs as well as other neurological conditions.

Your treatment may include:

• Observation. If you're not experiencing symptoms, your doctor may initially decide to monitor your cavernous malformation, especially since risk is generally lower for those who are non-symptomatic. Sometimes intermittent testing such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended to watch for any changes in the malformation. Let your doctor know right away about any changes in your symptoms.
• Medications. If you have seizures related to a cavernous malformation, you may be prescribed medications to stop the seizures.
• Surgery. If you're experiencing symptoms related to a cavernous malformation that can be reached surgically, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the malformation.

If your treatment plan includes surgery, more advanced imaging technologies, such as functional MRI and tractography, may also be useful within specific contexts.

Potential future treatments

Several imaging technology areas hold promise for both improving predictions of the course of disease in some specific contexts and for enhancing the level of information available about a particular individual's disease state, including potential advances in imaging through quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), permeability imaging using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and the use of alternative MRI contrast agents such as ferumoxytol. While still under investigation, such developments hold promise for enhanced imaging that may lead to more precise and effective clinical care in the future.