Spontaneous resolution of arteriovenous malformation without hemorrhage.

The patient was a 25-year-old , right-handed man who had been hyperactive and nervous as a child. A grand mal seizure disorder had developed when he was 15. A brain scan and CT scan at that time showed a . small, calcified , left posterior temporal lesion. The patient was told that it was inoperable because of its location, and anticonvulsants were prescribed. In May 1984, poor seizure control led to repeat CT and angiography (Figs. 1 A and 1 B), which showed a small , calcified, left posterior temporal AVM with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 cm that was fed by the left posterior temporal branch of the middle cerebral artery. Again he was told that the lesion was inoperable. After 2 years of continued seizures, the patient was referred to our institution. He had had no previous episodes of headache, nausea, vomiting , or meningismus associated with his seizures. Repeat angiography (Fig . 1 C) showed no evidence of arteriovenous malformation, early draining, or other abnormal vascular changes. Dense calcification was noted in the left temporal area on plain skull films, and this was even more obvious on CT scans (Fig. 1 D).