Pre- and Postoperative Findings in an Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Study

.Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital abnormalities found at the arteriole-venule junctions, where a normal capillary bed would otherwise exist. EEG findings in patients with AVMs often show confusing results, with incorrect localization of slow wave activity or sharp waves. Conversely, patients with large AVMs sometimes have normal EEGs.This report is a case history of a child who initially presented with seizures at 11 years of age, and was subsequently found to have an AVM. His malformation was surgically excised, and he has been followed postoperatively for a 1 -year period. The combination of clinical presentation, seizure manifestations, and EEG findings of this patient together implicated several different foci of abnormality, although these different foci were all within the “watershed” area of the middle cerebral artery. These abnormalities all disappeared immediately postoperatively. This multiplicity of localization prompted a literature review, which then led to some interesting discussion of the effects of A VMs upon local cerebral perfusion and function. A further question arises as to the effect AVM excision may have on the post-surgical EEG—can it cause normalization of the EEG?