title: Clinical Characteristics of Arteriovenous Malformations of the Head and Neck.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the head and neck regions show low incidence; hence, studies regarding the causative factors of onset, diagnostic criteria, clinical aspects, treatment methods, and outcomes remain lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To share the diagnostic and treatment experiences at the center and to understand the treatments' effect through a retrospective analysis of cases in the past 15 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors included 60 patients with AVM in the head and neck area between January 1999 and September 2014 to investigate diagnostic methods, distributions and locations of lesions, clinical stage, and treatment methods by retrospective evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 3.7% were diagnosed with AVMs of the head and neck. No sex-related differences were observed, and the mean age at diagnosis was 27.6 ± 14.24 years. The left (26 patients, 43%) and V2 sections (33 patients, 55%) of the head and neck were the most frequent locations. Stage II (28 patients, 47%) had the largest distribution. Forty-four patients (73%) showed improvement after sclerotherapy, embolization, and surgical resection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis and treatment of AVMs should be approached on a case-by-case basis by gathering opinions from specialists in each department using medical history, physical examination, and imaging results.
authors.affiliation: Departments of *Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, †Dermatology, ‡Radiology, and §Vascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea; ¶Vascular Anomalies Center, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Bong
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kang Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jung Dug
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Byung Chae
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Seok-Jong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Ho Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012535:Scalp; D015911:Sclerotherapy; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D055815:Young Adult