Cavernous angioma history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Edzel Lorraine Co, D.M.D., M.D.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) have varying presentations and these can be in the form of hemorrhagic stroke, focal neurological deficits, recurrent headaches, and seizures. Howevever, CCMs can be asymptomatic sometimes. ^[1]

• This condition usually presents a significant amount of dilation of blood vessels lined by a single layer of endothelium. There is a lack of neuronal tissue interspersed within the lesion.
• These thinly-walled vessels are comparable to sinusoidal cavities with stagnant blood.
• The diameters of affected blood vessels in patients with CCM vary significantly, ranging from millimeters to centimeters. CCM lesions usually look like raspberries in gross appearance.

• Patients with CCM can be asymptomatic or can have severe symptoms such as headaches, paralysis, seizures, cerebral hemorrhage, hemorrhagic stroke, or even death.
• The nature and severity of the symptoms depend on the lesion’s location in the brain. Approximately 70% of these lesions occur in the supratentorial region of the brain.
• The remaining 30% occur in the infratentorial region.