Childhood intracranial arteriovenous malformation in Saudi Arabia

Twenty-three patients in whom intracranial arteriovenous malformation (ICAVM) occurred while they were in the pediatric age group (16 years or less) were identified. The patients had presented to three major centers in Saudi Arabia (King Fahad Hospital of the University, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, and Riyadh Military Hospital). The incidence of ICAVM in Saudi Arabia is estimated. ICAVM in the pediatric age group accounts for 7.72% of all ICAVM cases. Most of the pediatric patients presented with intracranial bleeding, and seizure was the only other mode of presentation. Spontaneous changes involving ICAVM occurred in 4 children, in the form of either increase or decrease in size or new vascularization. Most children had higher grade ICAVM and the morbidity rate was higher than in adults. The cure rate was 50% with different therapeutic modalities. This report represents the first study to provide the hospital-based frequency of pediatric ICAVM in Saudi Arabia.