Giant cavernous malformations in young adults: Report of two cases, radiological findings and surgical consequences

Abstract

Cerebral cavernous malformations, also known as cavernous angioma or cavernoma, are a type of vascular disorder. They consist of abnormally large vascular cavities or sinusoid channels of varying size. The majority of cavernous malformations in the brain are small and do not always present with symptoms. A minority of large cavernous malformations, known as giant cavernous malformations (GCM), can cause neurological symptoms (such as headaches, focal neurologic deficits and seizures), which are probably related to hemorrhage and mass effect. GCM grow steadily in size over time, due to repetitive episodes of bleeding. The purpose of this paper is to document two case reports of patients with GCM, illustrate the radiological appearance, discuss the neurosurgical consequences, and to provide a literature analysis.