Early fatal rebleeding from a cerebellar cavernous malformation--case report.

A 25-year-old female patient presented with hemorrhage from a cerebellar cavernous malformation manifesting as headache and vomiting. She died of massive rebleeding within 1 week of the previous hemorrhage. The natural history of cavernous malformations was considered relatively benign, with significant hemorrhage being uncommon. The present case suggests that emergency surgery should be performed for patients with unstable clinical conditions and/or those with a significant mass effect in the cerebellum or the brainstem.