Abstract
Abstract only Background and Purpose: To determine if clinical and angioarchitectural features of brain AVMs differ between children and adults. Materials and Methods: A prospectively collected institutional database of all patients diagnosed with brain AVMs since 2001 was queried. Demographic, clinical, and angioarchitecture information was summarized and analyzed with univariable and multivariable models. Results: Results often differed when age was treated as a continuous variable as opposed to dividing subjects into children (≤18 years) versus adults (>18 years). Children were more likely to present with AVM hemorrhage than adults (59% vs. 41%, p=0.001). Although AVMs with a larger nidus presented at younger ages (mean of 26.8 years for greater than 6 cm compared to 37.1 years for less than 3 cm), this was not significantly different between children and adults (p=0.069). Exclusively deep venous drainage was more common in younger subjects both when age was treated continuously (p=0.04), or dichotomized (p<0.001). Venous ectasia was more common with increasing age (mean, 39.4 years with ectasia compared to 31.1 years without ectasia) and when adults were compared to children (52% vs. 35%, p<0.001). Patients with feeding artery aneurysms presented at later average age (44.1 years) than those without such aneurysms (31.6 years); this observation persisted when comparing children to adults (13% vs. 29%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Although children with brain AVMs were more likely to come to clinical attention due to hemorrhage than adults, venous ectasia and feeding artery aneurysms were underrepresented in children, suggesting that these particular high risk features take time to develop.