Cavernous hemangioma, also called cavernous angioma, venous malformation, or cavernoma, is a type of venous malformation due to endothelial dysmorphogenesis from a lesion which is present at birth. A cavernoma in the brain is called a cerebral cavernous malformation or CCM. Despite its designation of a hemangioma, a cavernous hemangioma is not a tumor as it does not display endothelial hyperplasia. The abnormal tissue causes a slowing of blood flow through the cavities, or "caverns". The blood vessels do not form the necessary junctions with surrounding cells, and the structural support from the smooth muscle is hindered, causing leakage into the surrounding tissue. It is the leakage of blood, referred to as hemorrhage, that causes a variety of symptoms known to be associated with the condition. Symptoms
People with this condition in the brain may or may not experience symptoms. Some complications of the condition are life-threatening or cause major disruptions to normal functioning. Dangerous seizures due to compression of the brain, bleeding inside the brain tissue, vision problems, difficulty with speaking or using words, memory loss, ataxia, or hydrocephalus can occur. Less serious symptoms may include headaches and weakness or numbness in the arms or legs, though these symptoms alone do not indicate a person has the condition. In the eye, it may cause disruption or damage to the extraocular muscles and optic nerve which may manifest as double vision, progressive proptosis, decreased visual acuity, or other vision changes. It can lead to partial or complete blindness.
A common complication of the surgery is hemorrhage and the loss of blood. There is also the possibility of the hemangioma reoccurring after its removal. Additionally, the risk of a stroke or death is also possible.Treatments for cerebral cavernous hemangiomas include radiosurgery or microsurgery. The treatment approach depends on the site, size and symptoms present, as well as the history of hemorrhage from the lesion. Microsurgery is generally preferred if the cerebral cavernous hemangioma is superficial in the central nervous system, or the risk of damage to surrounding tissue from irradiation is too high. Additionally, a large hemorrhage with deterioration of the patient or intractable symptoms (such as seizures or coma) are further indications for microsurgical intervention. Gamma-knife radiation is the favored mechanism of radiosurgery. It provides a precise radiation dose to the cerebral cavernous hemangioma while relatively sparing the surrounding tissue. These treatment approaches for cavernous hemangiomas in other regions of the body have limited research. Prognosis
A few studies have worked on providing details related to the outlook of disease progression. Two studies show that each year 0.5% of people who have never had bleeding from their brain cavernoma, but had symptoms of seizures, were affected by bleeding. In contrast, patients who have had bleeding from their brain cavernoma in the past had a higher risk of being affected by subsequent bleeding. The statistics for this are very broad, ranging from 4–23% a year.