The angiosome concept applied to arteriovenous malformations of the head and neck

Abstract

Arteriovenous malformations remain a difficult clinical problem. There is very little understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of these lesions, and therapy frequently involves considerable risks with suboptimal outcomes. Recently, a comprehensive description of the angiosomes of the head and neck was completed in the authors' unit. It was noticed that the location of several clinically observed arteriovenous malformations in the head and neck seemed to correspond to the anatomic location of the choke anastomotic zones linking the angiosomes. Therefore, selective clinical angiograms were compared with those from the authors' previously performed fresh cadaver injection studies, in which ..