NEJM Group’s Post

View organization page for NEJM Group, graphic
NEJM Group

92,590 followers

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are compact clusters of spongelike vascular spaces without intervening neural parenchyma that occur in the brain or spinal cord. At surgery, they appear as blebs or blood-filled bubbles, like a cluster of grapes, with a characteristic appearance on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as described below. CCMs are found in approximately 0.5% of the general population. In rare familial cases, the lesions also occur in the retina or skin. In the past, CCMs in the nervous system were called angiographically occult vascular malformations, because they typically cannot be detected on conventional angiography, and they have also been described as hemangiomas, cavernomas, and cavernous angiomas. Sporadic, single CCMs are most common, accounting for approximately 85% of cases; about 15% are familial, and CCMs induced by radiation are increasingly being identified. The prevalence of CCMs, coupled with increased detection with the widespread availability of cerebral imaging, suggests that many physicians will see patients with these lesions. Continue reading the Review Article “Cavernous Malformations of the Central Nervous System” by Edward Smith, M.D., from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School: https://nej.md/49QMK8L 

  • Characteristic Features of CCMs on MRI Studies

To view or add a comment, sign in

More Relevant Posts

NEJM Group

92,590 followers

View Profile

Explore topics