Coils versus glue embolization in surgery for cerebral AVMs

Introduction: Complete cure of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) by embolization alone is achieved in a restricted number of cases. Embolization is usually followed by surgical therapy. Methods: We compared the subjective intraoperative experience of the neurosurgeon in cases of AVMs embolized with coils (20 cases) versus glue-embolized AVMs (12 cases). Results: The surgeonʹs assessment of the intraoperative bleeding risk, duration of surgery, dissection and handling of the AVM, especially of its unembolized feeding arteries, clearly demonstrated the superiority of the glue embolization as compared to embolization with coils. Discussion and Conclusions: Despite the subjectivity of our findings, they are of practical interest, and speak in favour of embolization of cerebral AVMs with glue.