Familial cavernous malformations. Diagnostic potential of magnetic resonance imaging.

Three patients from the same family underwent operations for neurological symptoms related to vascular lesions that proved on pathological examination to be cavernous malformations. Two of the lesions were intracranial and one was in the thoracic spine. Five other family members have also had neurological symptoms; three of these five were studied with cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The vascular malformations seen on computed tomography scans were more clearly delineated by magnetic resonance images, and in one case, magnetic resonance images identified intracerebral vascular pathology not demonstrated by computed tomography. Magnetic resonance images in two neurologically normal family members showed no abnormalities. We conclude that in this family, magnetic resonance imaging was superior to computed tomography in identifying and delineating vascular malformations of the central nervous system.