The brain is the most complex part of the human body and it continues to amaze scientists who study it on a regular basis. In fact, those who know the most about the human brain are constantly amazed at how little they really know about its operation. Most of those scientists would agree that there is nothing that compares to the brain to be found anywhere in the known universe. Unfortunately, there are also problems that could occur and some of them can be quite serious.
One problem that may take place in the human brain is Arterio-Venus Malformation, which is typically known as an AVM. It has to do with the blood vessels that travel through the brain and carry oxygen to the area and then back to the lungs and heart to get more oxygen. In a healthy brain, those blood vessels do a good job of distributing the blood through the brain but with an AVM, the blood takes a more direct route. The blood vessels form a more direct route that bypasses the normal tissue of the brain and diverts the blood flow from the arteries to the veins and back to the heart.
Fortunately, this is not an issue that is regularly seen. In fact, it is only estimated that one out of every 5,000 people has this problem, which is far less than 1% of the population. For those who do suffer from the problem, however, the issues can be quite serious. It can affect the ability of the person who suffers from it to speak and see properly. Head pain that is localized may be a problem and some may suffer from seizures or an intracranial hemorrhage. These symptoms may differ from one person to another.
If there is anything good to consider about an AVM, it’s the fact that it isn’t passed on from one generation to the next as far as anyone knows. There isn’t any real indication as to what causes the problem to occur. It appears that a person is born with the problem, even though it doesn’t appear to be a hereditary issue. They can take place in any part of the brain or in the covering of the brain and in any of those cases, the symptoms can be a problem.
When an AVM occurs, it tends to be stagnant in most cases without any additional growth or shrinkage occurring. In some cases, however, clots may form in part of the AVM and that may cause them to shrink. In addition, they may enlarge in some cases to latch onto a blood vessel that is nearby. Brain bleeding can be a problem that is severe in some cases.
Get Treatment
If you suffer from an Arterio-Venus Malformation, you can contact Dr. Dickerman for assistance. As a board-certified spine and brain surgeon, he can diagnose the problem and give you options for treatment.
