IntroductionA cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an irregular connection of arteries and veins in the brain that has no defined cause; many have no symptoms (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). However, some patients experience headaches and seizures (Starke et al., 2009). The main risk of AVM is hemorrhage, and patients with AVM will always have some risk of hemorrhage (Ogilvy et al., 2001); According to Ogilvy et al (2001), more than 50% of AVMs result in cerebral hemorrhage. The severity of the AVM will determine whether and how the disease should be treated. Although treatment of AVMs in the brain attempts to maximize quality of life and eliminate the risk of cerebral hemorrhage, it is essential to consider the benefits and risks before treatment. The four main treatments for AVMs in the brain include resection, endovascular embolization, stereotactic radiosurgery, and multimodality (Ogilvy et al., 2001). AVM resection is simply the surgical removal of the lesion with the goal of total obliteration. Endovascular embolization uses a catheter to inject a glue-like substance to block the AVM (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). According to Ogilvy et al. (2001), stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of focused radiation that destroys the AVM. Multimodal treatment is a combination of two or more treatments, and the most common form of multiple treatment is embolization combined with resection or radiosurgery (Ogilvy et al., 2001). Endovascular embolization can be used to reduce the size of the AVM and therefore make resection or radiosurgery more effective in reducing the risk of hemorrhage (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). The Spetzler-Martin scale is often used to determine relative risk and...... middle of paper ......., Stieg, PE, Awad, I., Brown, RD, Kondziolka, D. , Rosenwasser, R.,… Hademenos, G. (2001). Recommendations for the management of intracranial arteriovenous malformations. American Stroke Association, 32, 1458-1471. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.32.6.1458Shuttleworth, Martyn. (2009). Meta-analysis. Retrieved from http://explorable.com/meta-analysis Starke, RM, Komotar, RJ, Hwang, BY, Fischer, LE, Garret, MC, Otten, ML,… Connolly, ES (2009). Treatment guidelines for microsurgery of cerebral arteriovenous malformations. British Journal of Neurosurgery, 23(4), 376-386. doi: 10.1080/02688690902977662 Yen, C., Sheehan, J.P., Schwyzer, L., Schlesinger, D. (2011). Risk of hemorrhage from cerebral arteriovenous malformations before and during the latency period after Gamma Knife radiosurgery. American Stroke Association, 42, 1691-1696. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.602706