Letter to the Editor: Comparison between surgery and Gamma Knife radiosurgery for brain AVMs

Long-term functional outcome after intervention for pediatric intracranial arteriovenous malformations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Intervention (surgery, embolization, and radiosurgery) is critical in maximizing outcomes of pediatric arteriovenous malformations (pAVMs). Although short-term functional outcomes following intervention have been stablished to be favorable, long-term outcomes have yet to be thoroughly consolidated. Searches of 7 electronic databases from inception to April 2019 were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened against pre-specified criteria. Favorable functional were modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores ranging from 0 to 2, and the incidences were extracted and pooled by random-effects meta-analysis of proportions. Fourteen pertinent studies were identified describing outcomes of 699 pAVM patients, with median 75 % presenting with hemorrhage. Surgery, embolization and radiosurgery use were reported by 12 (86 %), 14 (100 %) and 10 (71 %) studies respectively. By median study follow-up time of 4.1 years, a favorable functional outcome was estimated to occur in 87 % (95 % CI, 82-91 %) of subjects respectively. Hemorrhagic versus non-hemorrhagic presentations did not statistically differ in incidence of this long-term outcome, 78 % (95 % CI, 67-87 %) and 91 % (95 % CI, 80-98 %) respectively. This study demonstrates that favorable long-term functional outlook of pAVM subjects after intervention can persist for many years after initial intervention. The certainty of achieving this outcome is moderate, irrespective of hemorrhagic presentation or intervention modality. Long-term functional deficit risk should not be the sole factor in deciding if intervention should be pursued.