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Treatments of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The best therapeutic option for unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) patients is disputed.

Objective

To assess the occurrence of obliteration and complications of patients with unruptured bAVMs after various treatments.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and so on to identify studies fulfilling predefined inclusion criteria. Baseline, treatment, and outcomes data were extracted for statistical analysis.

Results

We identified 28 eligible studies totaling 5852 patients. The obliteration rates were 98% in microsurgery group (95% confidence interval (CI): 96%-99%, I2 = 74.5%), 97% in surgery group (95%CI: 95%-99%, I2 = 18.3%), 87% in endovascular treatment group (95%CI: 80%-93%, I2 = 0.0%), and 68% in radiosurgery group (95%CI: 66%-69%, I2 = 92.0%). The stroke or death rates were 1% in microsurgery group (95%CI: 0%-2%, I2 = 0.0%), 0% in surgery group (95%CI: 0%-1%, I2 = 0.0%), 4% in endovascular treatment group (95%CI: 0%-8%, I2 = 85.8%), and 3% in radiosurgery group (95%CI: 3%-4%, I2 = 82.9%). In addition, the proportions of hemorrhage were 2% in microsurgery group (95%CI: 1%-4%, I2 = 0.0%), 23% in endovascular treatment group (95%CI: 7%-39%), and 12% in radiosurgery group (95%CI: 12%-13%, I2 = 99.2%). As to neurological deficit, the occurrence was 9% in microsurgery group (95%CI: 6%-11%, I2 = 94.1%), 20% in surgery group (95%CI: 13%-27%, I2 = 0.0%), 14% in endovascular treatment group (95%CI: 10%-18%, I2 = 64.0%), and 8% in radiosurgery group (95%CI: 7%-9%, I2 = 66.6%).

Conclusions

We found that microsurgery might provide lasting clinical benefits in some unruptured bAVMs patients for its high obliteration rates and low hemorrhage. These findings are helpful to provide a reference basis for neurosurgeons to choose the treatment of patients with unruptured bAVMs.

SUBMITTER: Liu R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8238300 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:The clinical benefit of preventive eradication of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations remains uncertain. A Randomised trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous malformations (ARUBA) aims to compare the risk of death and symptomatic stroke in patients with an unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation who are allocated to either medical management alone or medical management with interventional therapy. METHODS:Adult patients (?18 years) with an unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation were enrolled into this trial at 39 clinical sites in nine countries. Patients were randomised (by web-based system, in a 1:1 ratio, with random permuted block design [block size 2, 4, or 6], stratified by clinical site) to medical management with interventional therapy (ie, neurosurgery, embolisation, or stereotactic radiotherapy, alone or in combination) or medical management alone (ie, pharmacological therapy for neurological symptoms as needed). Patients, clinicians, and investigators are aware of treatment assignment. The primary outcome is time to the composite endpoint of death or symptomatic stroke; the primary analysis is by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00389181. FINDINGS:Randomisation was started on April 4, 2007, and was stopped on April 15, 2013, when a data and safety monitoring board appointed by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health recommended halting randomisation because of superiority of the medical management group (log-rank Z statistic of 4·10, exceeding the prespecified stopping boundary value of 2·87). At this point, outcome data were available for 223 patients (mean follow-up 33·3 months [SD 19·7]), 114 assigned to interventional therapy and 109 to medical management. The primary endpoint had been reached by 11 (10·1%) patients in the medical management group compared with 35 (30·7%) in the interventional therapy group. The risk of death or stroke was significantly lower in the medical management group than in the interventional therapy group (hazard ratio 0·27, 95% CI 0·14-0·54). No harms were identified, other than a higher number of strokes (45 vs 12, p<0·0001) and neurological deficits unrelated to stroke (14 vs 1, p=0·0008) in patients allocated to interventional therapy compared with medical management. INTERPRETATION:The ARUBA trial showed that medical management alone is superior to medical management with interventional therapy for the prevention of death or stroke in patients with unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations followed up for 33 months. The trial is continuing its observational phase to establish whether the disparities will persist over an additional 5 years of follow-up. FUNDING:National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Project description:BackgroundBrain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are the single most common cause of intracerebral haemorrhage in young adults. Brain AVMs also cause seizure(s) and focal neurological deficits (in the absence of haemorrhage, migraine or an epileptic seizure); approximately one-fifth are incidental discoveries. Various interventions are used in an attempt to eradicate brain AVMs: neurosurgical excision, stereotactic radiosurgery, endovascular embolization, and staged combinations of these interventions. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2006, and last updated in 2009.ObjectivesTo determine the effectiveness and safety of the different interventions, alone or in combination, for treating brain AVMs in adults compared against either each other, or conservative management, in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).Search methodsThe Cochrane Stroke Group Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched 7 January 2019), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2019, Issue 1) in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE Ovid (1980 to 14 January 2019), and Embase OVID (1980 to 14 January 2019). We searched international registers of clinical trials, the contents pages of relevant journals, and bibliographies of relevant articles (November 2009). We also contacted manufacturers of interventional treatments for brain AVMs (March 2005).Selection criteriaWe sought RCTs of any intervention for brain AVMs (used alone or in combination), compared against each other or against conservative management, with relevant clinical outcome measures.Data collection and analysisOne author screened the results of the updated searches for potentially eligible RCTs for this updated review. Both authors independently read the potentially eligible RCTs in full and confirmed their inclusion according to the inclusion criteria. We resolved disagreement by discussion. We assessed the risk of bias in included studies and applied GRADE.Main resultsWe included one trial with 226 participants: A Randomized trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA), comparing intervention versus conservative management for unruptured brain AVMs (that had never bled). The quality of evidence was moderate because we found just one trial that was at low risk of bias other than a high risk of performance bias due to participants and treating physicians not being blinded to allocated treatment. Data on functional outcome and death at a follow-up of 12 months were provided for 218 (96%) of the participants in ARUBA. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), intervention compared to conservative management increased death or dependency (modified Rankin Scale score ≥ 2, risk ratio (RR) 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28 to 4.98; 1 trial, 226 participants; moderate-quality evidence) and the proportion of participants with symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (RR 6.75, 95% CI 2.07 to 21.96; 1 trial, 226 participants; moderate-quality evidence), but there was no difference in the frequency of epileptic seizures (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.06; 1 trial, 226 participants; moderate-quality evidence). Three RCTs are ongoing.Authors' conclusionsWe found moderate-quality evidence from one RCT including adults with unruptured brain AVMs that conservative management was superior to intervention with respect to functional outcome and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage over one year after randomization. More RCTs will help to confirm or refute these findings.