[Cerebral arterio-venous malformations (avm): course of 18 cases treated by radiotherapy (author's transl)].

18 cases with large cerebral arterio-venous malformations, which were treated by high dose radiotherapy in the years 1940-1972 are reported. Radiation dose was 4000-6000 rd, single dose between 150 and 200 rd 5 or 6 times per week. Comparison of angiographic investigations and clinical symptomatology before and after treatment does not demonstrate a significant effect of high dose radiotherapy on large cerebral AVM. The own data are compared with untreated cases of AVM from the literature. Some other radiotherapeutic series from the literature show that some cases with small AVM may be cured by high dose radiotherapy.