title: Vascular malformations of the posterior fossa. Clinical and radiologic features.
abstract: Thirty-one patients with vascular malformations of the posterior fossa were studied to determine their clinical presentation and radiologic diagnosis. The most common clinical presentations were acute hemorrhage (68%, 21/31) and progressive or fluctuating focal neurologic deficits resembling those found in other pathologic processes (19%, 6/31). Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm occurred in these patients, but they were rarely initial presenting symptoms. Computed tomography, after infusion of contrast medium, was abnormal in 95% (20/21) of the patients. Angiography established or confirmed the diagnosis in most of the patients; however, a negative angiogram, especially in cases with recent hemorrhage, does not exclude the diagnosis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012886:Skull / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed