Cavernous angiomas of the brain

Summary Fourteen cases of cerebral cavernous angiomas are reported and the literature pertaining to the subject is reviewed. Some of these rare malformations remain asymptomatic throughout life, some give rise to symptoms (epileptic seizures with or without haemorrhage or slowly evolving focal nervous deficits) which usually appear in adult life. Precise pre-operative diagnosis is difficult, as at angiography they most often appear as avascular space-occupying lesions. Surgical removal is easy in most cases, and the operative outcome is good.