Cavernous angioma

CCMs & Venous Malformations

Many times a CCM is accompanied by a venous malformation (VM) which are also known as a developmental venous anomaly (DVA). These lesions appear either as enhancing linear blood vessels or caput medusae--a radial orientation of small vessels that resemble the hair of Medusa from Greek Mythology. These are normally benign lesions that provide normal brain drainage into the venous system. Conventional wisdom recommends leaving these lesions alone, even if surgical removal of the CCM is advocated.

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