Early versus Delayed Surgical Management of Ruptured Arteriovenous Brain Malformations in a Tertiary Referral Center in Colombia, South America.

BACKGROUND: Surgical timing after rupture of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is controversial. There is scarce literature on AVM surgical outcomes from developing countries. This study aims to determine if there is a difference between early and delayed surgical resection for patients with ruptured brain AVMs. METHODS: This single-center retrospective review included patients who underwent surgical resection for ruptured brain AVMs in Colombia. Patients were stratified by the timing of surgical intervention relative to the rupture into early (≤72 hours of bleeding) and delayed (>72 hours) resection. Continuous variables were analyzed using an independent t-test, and dichotomous variables were analyzed using a χ2 test. A linear regression analysis was performed with the final mRankin score at 2 years as the dependent variable; P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were identified. The early treatment group included 14 (45.2%) patients, and the delayed group included 17 (54.8%) patients. The mean (SD) length of time between AVM rupture and surgical resection was 1.6 ± 1.2 days and 12.4 ± 8.4 days, respectively (P < 0.001). There were no differences regarding demographics, perioperative variables, and postoperative outcomes between groups. In the linear regression analysis, the only variable that had a significant association with the final mRankin score was the initial Glasgow Coma Scale, which had a ß coefficient of -0.6341 (95% confidence interval: -0.41,-0.017, P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: In this case series of 31 patients from a developing country, there were no differences in clinical outcomes at the final follow-up between acute and delayed surgical interventions for ruptured AVMs. The most important factor associated with the final outcomes was the initial Glasgow Coma Scale.

Aneurisma trombosado de arteria comunicante anterior asociado a síntomas visuales / Thrombosed anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with visual symptoms

Introducción: Los aneurismas de la arteria comunicante anterior (AComA) se presentan frecuentemente como causa de hemorragia subaracnoidea espontánea (HSAE), en casos raros se asocian a síntomas visuales por compresión mecánica o ruptura y su tratamiento quirúrgico a menudo representa un desafío. Descripción del caso: Se presenta el caso clínico de una paciente adulta con disminución de la agudeza visual del ojo derecho a predominio temporal, y hallazgos en RMN cerebral y angiografía compatibles con un aneurisma grande de AcomA, asociado a trombosis parcial; se realizó clipaje y trombectomía del aneurisma, la panangiografia de control evidenció exclusión completa de la lesión con posterior resolución del déficit visual. Discusión: El déficit visual por un aneurisma de la AcoA se puede generar por varios mecanismos, uno de ellos es la ruptura del aneurisma hacia el nervio óptico, con la subsecuente formación de un hematoma, adherencias y fibrosis; el otro mecanismo es la compresión mecánica de un aneurisma gigante no roto. El manejo quirúrgico a menudo implica técnicas complejas microquirúrgicas para intentar resolver el efecto de masa y excluir el aneurisma. La terapia endovascular es otra alternativa de tratamiento, pero tiene desventajas respecto a la cirugía. Conclusión: Los aneurismas de la AComA en raros casos se pueden asociar a síntomas visuales, debido a que por lo general se romepen cuando son pequeños, y no alcanzan a tener el tamaño suficiente para generar compresión de la vía óptica. Las técnicas microquirúrgicas ofrecen un método efectivo para disminuir el efecto de masa y mejorar los síntomas visuales

Introduction: Aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery (AComA) frequently present as a cause of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (HSAE), in rare cases they are associated with visual symptoms due to mechanical compression or rupture and their surgical treatment often represents a challenge. Description of the case: We present the clinical case of an adult patient with a decrease in visual acuity due to the right eye with a temporal predominance and findings on brain MRI and angiography compatible with a large AcomA aneurysm associated with partial thrombosis; clipping and thrombectomy of the aneurysm were performed, the control panangiography showed complete exclusion of the lesion. With subsequent resolution of the visual deficit. Discussion: The visual deficit due to an AcoA aneurysm can be generated by several mechanisms, one of them is the rupture of the aneurysm towards the optic nerve, with the subsequent formation of a hematoma, adhesions and fibrosis; The other mechanism is mechanical compression of a giant, unruptured aneurysm. Surgical management often involves complex microsurgical techniques to try to resolve the mass effect and exclude the aneurysm. Endovascular therapy is another treatment alternative, but it has disadvantages compared to surgery. Conclusion: AComA aneurysms in rare cases can be associated with visual symptoms, because they generally rupture when they are small, and are not large enough to generate compression of the optic pathway. Microsurgical techniques offer an effective method to alleviate the mass effect and improve visual symptoms