• Po-Wei Huang, Syu-Jyun Peng, David Hung-Chi Pan, Huai-Che Yang, Jo-Ting Tsai, Cheng-Ying Shiau, I-Chang Su, Ching-Jen Chen, Hsiu-Mei Wu, Chung-Jung Lin, Wen-Yuh Chung, Wan-Yuo Guo, Wei-Lun Lo, Shao-Wen Lai, and Cheng-Chia Lee.
• 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City.
• J. Neurosurg. 2023 Jan 1; 138 (1): 241250241-250.

ObjectiveThe goal of the study was to define and quantify brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) compactness and to assess its effect on outcomes after Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for unruptured bAVMs.MethodsUnsupervised machine learning with fuzzy c-means clustering was used to differentiate the tissue constituents of bAVMs on T2-weighted MR images. The percentages of vessel, brain, and CSF were quantified. The proposed compactness index, defined as the ratio of vasculature tissue to brain tissue, categorized bAVM morphology into compact, intermediate, and diffuse types according to the tertiles of this index. The outcomes of interest were complete obliteration and radiation-induced changes (RICs).ResultsA total of 209 unruptured bAVMs treated with GKRS were retrospectively included. The median imaging and clinical follow-up periods were 49.2 and 72.3 months, respectively. One hundred seventy-three bAVMs (82.8%) achieved complete obliteration after a median latency period of 43.3 months. The rates of RIC and permanent RIC were 76.1% and 3.8%, respectively. Post-GKRS hemorrhage occurred in 14 patients (6.7%), resulting in an annual bleeding risk of 1.0%. Compact bAVM, smaller bAVM volume, and exclusively superficial venous drainage were independent predictors of complete obliteration. Diffuse bAVM morphology, larger bAVM volume, and higher margin dose were independently associated with RICs.ConclusionsThe compactness index quantitatively describes the compactness of unruptured bAVMs. Moreover, compact bAVMs may have a higher obliteration rate and a smaller risk of RICs than diffuse bAVMs. This finding could help guide decision-making regarding GKRS treatment for patients with unruptured bAVMs.

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