Cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children.

Differences in clinical features of arteriovenous malformations (AVM) in six children with ruptured AVM (RAM) and three with unruptured AVM (URAM) are herein reported. The age at onset ranged from the neonatal period to 8 yrs in cases of URAM and 10 to 12 yrs in those with RAM. The children with RAM had a sudden onset of intracranial hemorrhage, except for one with prodromal symptoms such as vertigo or headache. The clinical features of URAM were chronic mild symptoms such as a certain degree of delayed development, focal neurologic signs or increased intracranial pressure in addition to macrocephalus and cranial bruit. CT scan revealed an evenly enhanced AVM and dilatation of ventricles in cases of URAM. The RAMs were angiographically relatively small while the URAMs were large.